Cottle County was created in 1876 and organized in 1892 in an area where the Pease and Little Wichita Rivers break the level terrain. It was named for George Washington Cottle (1798-1836), an 1832 settler in DeWitt's Colony who, after fighting in the 1835 Battle of Gonzales, entered the Alamo on March 1, 1836, and died there defending Texas. Among Texas's 254 counties, 42 bear Indian, French, or Spanish names; 10 honor colonizers such as Stephen F. Austin; 12 were named for Washington, Clay, and other American patriots; 96 were named for men who fought in the Texas War for Independence, signed the Declaration of Independence, or served as statesmen in the Republic of Texas; 23 have the names of frontiersmen and pioneers; 11 honor American statesmen who worked for the annexation of Texas; 10 honor leaders in Texas since statehood, including jurists, ministers, educators, historians, and statesmen; 36 were named for men prominent in the Confederacy during the Civil War; 8 have geographical names; 2 were named for battles, 2 for trees, and 1 for a fort. Cottle County is noted for fine farms and ranches, with Paducah as the principal market and shipping point.