Christopher Columbus Doty was the first permanent citizen of Schleicher County. He came to Texas from Missouri in 1879 and soon bought headquarters at Ten-Mile Water Hole, one-half mile east. In 1882 he drilled the first water well in the county and erected the first windmill south of the Concho River, establishing the area's agricultural industry. When the county was organized in 1901, it included his property, and he was elected the first tax assessor-collector. He later served as justice of the peace, was a rancher, and was active as a Methodist and a Mason. He married Alice Pancoast on June 3, 1887, and they had one daughter, Annie Marie.