Nolan County

Nomadic Indians crossed this region before Anglo-American pioneers arrived in the 1870's. The first settlers included buffalo hunters such as I.S. (Tuck) Focht, who later became a rancher and businessman, and cattlemen such as Confederate veteran John R. Lewis. Created in 1876, Nolan County was one of 54 counties carved from Bexar Territory. It was named for Philip Nolan (1771-1801), an Irish-born adventurer who came to Texas to capture wild horses and was killed in a skirmish with Spanish soldiers. Sweetwater, a small settlement that had grown up around a general store, received the county's first post office in March 1879 and became the county seat when Nolan County was organized in January 1881. In April 1881 Sweetwater moved 2 miles northwest to its present location on the Texas & Pacific Rail Line. It became an important rail center when the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient and later the Santa Fe Railroad also routed their track through the town. Nolan County's economy is based on cattle and sheep ranching, cotton and feed grain crops, and gypsum, lime, and petroleum production. The county's population increased from 640 in 1880 to 16,220 in the 1970 census.

Sweetwater, Texas · United States