Randall County, Texas
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |
Randall County Facts

Randall County was created in 1876 (Organized in 1889) and formed from Bexar and Young Territories. Randall County was named for Horace Randal, a Confederate brigadier general who was killed at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry (spelling differs due to an error in the bill creating the county). The County Seat is Canyon. The Official County website is located at http://www.randallcounty.org/. See also Extended History for more historical details.

Areas adjacent to Randall County are Potter County (north), Armstrong County (east), Swisher County (south), Castro County (southwest), Deaf Smith County (west)

  • Randall County, Texas History Books at Amazon.com
  • Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
  • Search Historical Newspapers from Texas (1802 - 1993) - Quickly find names and keywords in over 450 million articles, obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements and other items published in over 2,800 historical U.S. newspapers. New content added monthly!
  • Stories, Memories & Histories - Stories and histories compiled by others researching a person or area can be an amazing source of information about your ancestors. Not only do they generally contain dates and places of vital events like birth, marriage, and death, but they often relate stories and memories that help you really get to know the character of your ancestors.
  • Search Texas Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Back to top

Randall County Court Records

See Also Texas Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

Randall County Clerk has Court Records from 1889 , Land Records from 1889, Probate Records from 1889, Marriage Records from 1889 and Birth/Death Records from 1903 is located at 2309, Russell Long Blvd., Suite 101, P.O.Box 660, Canyon, Texas 79015; Phone:(806) 468 - 5505, Fax:(806) 468 - 5509; Email:countyclerk@randallcounty.org.

The County Clerk's Office is the record keeper of the county. The county records include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, brand registrations, DD214s (military discharges), land / real estate / property records, probate and civil filings.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, Texas Deaths, 1964-98, Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 & 1966-2002, and Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2002. You may also search the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which does cover Texas. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.

Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Randall County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
  • Randall County, Texas Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which covers the State of Texas. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.
  • Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
  • Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
Back to top

Randall County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Texas

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756; (888) 963-7111 or (512) 458-7111; Fax: (512) 458-7711. Please allow up to approximately 6-8 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail, or 2-5 Days when you order through VitalChek Express Certificate Services. The Vital Records Department has the following records:

  • Birth Certificates: Birth records maintained by Bureau of Vital Statistics, Dept. of Health since 1903 through the present. For births that occurred within the past 75 years, copies can be requested only by the immediate family of the person whose name is on the birth certificate. Cost: The cost of a birth record is $22.00. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $22.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Death Certificates: Death records maintained by Bureau of Vital Statistics, Dept. of Health since 1903 through the present. For deaths that occurred in the past 25 years, copies can be requested only by immediate family members of the deceased. Cost: The cost of a certified death certificate is $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy issued at the same time for the same certificate. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $20.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Marriage Verifications from Jan 1966 and Divorce Verifications from Jan 1968. Certified copies of marriage licenses or divorce decrees are only available from the county clerk (marriage) or district clerk (divorce) in the county or district in which the event occurred. Marriage verification or divorce verification letters can now be ordered Online. Cost is $20 - Fee is for verification only.

ORDERING

  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.
  • Order In Person: The certificates may be ordered by coming into this office.   If you want the copy the same day, our hours for same day service are 8:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Monday – Friday. The Texas Vital Statistics Office in Austin is located at 1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756.
  • Order By Mail: Mail a check or money order (no cash) payable to the "Texas Vital Records " along with the necessary information to the following address: Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, PO Box 12040. Print Aplication for Birth Certificates, Death Certificates and Marriage & Divorce Certificates.

There are a few online marriage databases which include: Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, Texas Deaths, 1964-98, Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 & 1966-2002, and Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2002. Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Randall County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Texas newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-10, 1926-29icon - Browse by county, then year, then surname, beginning with the first letters of the last name of the person you seek. If you're unsure of the year or location, use the search box under the browse menu. These records can be searched by father's first and last names, mother's first and maiden names, year, county, and city. The certificates include the child and parents' full names, residence, occupations, age, time and date of the birth, and the name of the physician attending the birth.
  • Texas Death Certificates, 1890-1976icon - These records are searchable by first and last name of the deceased, year, county, and city. A certificate may include the decedent's date, place, and cause of death; age; date of birth; last residence; and marital status. If known, it will also include occupation, birth place, parents' names, and place of burial. Browse by county, then year, then surname, beginning with the first letters of the last name of the person you seek. If unsure of the year or location, use the search box under the browse menu.
  • Randall County, Texas Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
  • Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
Back to top

Randall County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Texas

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Randall County, Texas are 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.

The Texas State Library holds microfilm editions for all of Texas' federal censuses. Although the 1850, 1860, and part of the 1870 mortality schedules have been published, all the original mortality schedules are at the Texas State Library and on microfilm The 1830 territorial census of Miller County, Arkansas, enumerates an area that is in today's Texas boundaries. The remaining 1890 population schedules which exist for Texas include: Ellis County (Justice Precinct 6, Mountain Peak, and Ovilla Precinct); Hood County (Precinct 5); Rusk County (No. 6 and Justice Precinct No. 7); Trinity County (town of Trinity and Justice Precinct 2); and Kaufman County (Kaufman). Although Greer County in present-day Oklahoma functioned as part of Texas between 1886 and 1896, the 1890 census for this county was enumerated under Oklahoma Territory.

Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Randall County, Texas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms

Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Randall County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Randall County, Texas Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
Back to top

Randall County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Arkansas and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Texas showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Texas showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps.

Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Maps. Email us with websites containing Randall County Maps by clicking the link below:

  • Texas General Land Office Map Collection
  • Randall County, Texas Map Books at Amazon.com
  • Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers - Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
Back to top

Randall County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Texas

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Randall County Military Records by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Randall County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Texas tax records constitute one of the most complete sets of available records generated at the county level (by the Commissioners Court) because these documents are maintained by the state. These lists may only include approximately sixty percent of eligible males over the age of twenty-one. Persons exempted from taxes included native Americans, "idiots," "incompetents," and those exempted because of age. This final category of exemptions varied over time. Years without an older age exemption were 1840 and 1862-70. Between 1841-44 exemptions began at forty-five years; in 1845 and from 1850-61 the upward age was set at fifty years. In 1837, 1848, and 1849 the limit was established as fifty-five, and in 1846-7, and 1871 the upward limit was set at sixty years.

Texas Ad Valorem (poll, personal, and real property) tax records for 1836 through 1976 are available in microfilm at the Texas State Library from the date of respective county organization; these are arranged by county and date and are somewhat alphabetized within each division. Microfilm copies are housed in the Genealogy Section. Tax lists for the various counties from creation to 1901 may be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Tax records through 1901-1947 are readily accessible, but not on interlibrary loan. Those for 1948 through 1976 can be obtained upon request. 

Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Randall County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Randall County, Texas Tax Books at Amazon.com
Back to top

Randall County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Texas Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Randall County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • ?
  • Texas State Library and Archives Commission, P.O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711-2927
    Holdings under the auspices of the Texas State Library are divided. Most important for genealogical research are the Texas State Archives with its Local Records Department, the Records Management Division, and the Information Services Division, which includes a Genealogy Section and a Reference Department.
    The Genealogy Section maintains vertical ties that contain notes, clippings, pamphlets, and correspondence on Texas families. These files may be accessed in person, by phone (512-463-5463, forty-five minute limit), or through correspondence.
  • Texas Genealogical Society, 2505 Beluche Drive, Galveston 77551
  • Texas Historical Commision
    The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is the state agency for historic preservation. THC staff consults with citizens and organizations to preserve Texas' architectural, archeological and cultural landmarks. The agency is recognized nationally for its preservation programs.
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • Texas Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
Back to top

Randall County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Texas

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Randall County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Randall County Tombstone Transcription Project.

During Texas's colonization period Roman Catholics were the most numerous, but early citizens included those representing other religious faiths such as Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Christian or Disciples of Christ.

Many cemetery records have been collected and transcribed, including the largest of which is multi-volumes compilation by the DAR and two volumes for Peters Colonists and descendants. The DAR collection, also microfilmed, is available at the Texas State Library and through the FHL.

Some Texas county historical and genealogical societies have published local cemetery and/funeral home records. These are normally available for purchase through the respective society. Two references can help determine which cemeteries have been recorded: Kim Parsons', A Reference to Texas Cemetery Records (Humble, Tex.: by author, 1988), arranged by county; and Sharry Crofford-Gould's, Texas Cemetery Inscriptions: A Source Index (San Antonio, Tex.: Limited Editions, 1977).

Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Randall County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Randall County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Randall County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Back to top

Extended History

 

Evidence of human habitation in the area extends back some 10,000 years to Paleo-Indian cultures. During the historical period, various nomadic Plains Indian tribes, including the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne, hunted buffalo in the area and utilized the canyons as winter camping grounds. The expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado crossed the area in 1541 and probably camped for a fortnight in Palo Duro Canyon. Pedro Vial crossed the northeast corner of the county on his way from San Antonio to Santa Fe in 1786, and in July 1788 Vial and Santiago Fernández traversed the canyon as they returned to Santa Fe from the Jumano country. One division of the Texan-Santa Fe expedition of 1841 crossed the southeastern part of what is now Randall County near South Cita Canyon. In 1852, while surveying possible routes for a Pacific railroad, Capt. Randolph B. Marcy and Capt. George B. McClellan followed the Red River into Palo Duro Canyon before turning northward to the Canadian River.

In the 1870s the slaughter of the buffalo and the battle of Palo Duro Canyon drove the Plains Indians from the area and opened it up to settlement. Randall County was separated from Bexar County in 1876 and named for Horace Randal, Confederate brigadier general killed at the battle of Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas, in 1864; a clerical error doubled the l in the name. Settlement began in 1876 when Charles Goodnight drove 1,600 cattle into Palo Duro Canyon and established his Old Home Ranch as the first JA Ranch headquarters. The following year Leigh R. Dyer built his log ranch headquarters, the oldest surviving building in the northern thirty-six counties of Texas, near the junction of Palo Duro and Tierra Blanca creeks. In 1878 Dyer sold this property to the Gunter, Munson, and Summerfield firm, who established the GMS (later T Anchor) Ranch at this site. Working with the Houston and Great Northern Railroad on a partnership basis, the firm by 1880 controlled most of the land and all of the water sites in Randall County. The county was unorganized from 1876 to 1889 and was attached successively to Jack County (1876-79), Wheeler County (1879-81), Oldham County (1881-83), Donley County (1883-85), Oldham County again (1885-89), and Potter County (1889). At first, county organization was contested by the big ranching element led by Lee John Hutson, manager of the T Anchor, who sought to restrict the flow of homesteaders into the area. However, 200 petitioners led by Lincoln G. Conner successfully arranged for an election, held in July 1889 at Conner's dugout. Canyon City (later Canyon), which Conner had laid out earlier that year, was elected county seat, with forty-five qualified voters participating. Six of the new county officers were T Anchor employees. The first school in the county was taught in the fall of 1889 by Emma Turner at the old wooden shack that had served as a courthouse. The county population rose from 187 in 1890 to 963 in 1900. All but one of the inhabitants in 1900 was white, and only eighteen were foreign born.

From the beginning, ranching established itself as the county's major industry. Fenced pastures replaced the open range after 1881, registered Herefords were first brought into the area in 1883, and cattle numbered 35,000 in 1900. Farming grew more slowly. The first farmer was W. F. Heller, later the first county clerk, who in 1887 established his homestead on Tierra Blanca Creek some two miles from the T Anchor headquarters. Oats and sorghum were early crops; alfalfa was grown successfully in 1888. In 1900 the county had only 8,278 acres in cultivation.

Transportation developments at the turn of the century greatly aided the development of Randall County. The Pecos and Northern Texas Railway built westward through the county from Amarillo in 1898 and helped bring settlers and a market for crops; in 1910 the Santa Fe completed the Llano Estacado Railway from Floydada to Canyon. As a result the decade 1900 to 1910 was a time of dramatic growth for Randall County, as the population increased by over 300 percent to 3,312 inhabitants. During the same period the number of improved acres increased elevenfold, to reach 94,404 acres by 1910; most of the land was planted in wheat and in forage crops. In the same decade the size of the average farm fell from 6,014 acres to 767 acres, further evidence of a shift from a predominantly ranching to a mixed ranching and farming economy.

Though the county population and economy were relatively static between 1910 and 1920, Randall County experienced new growth in the 1920s. The population reached 7,071 in 1930, and the number of farms more than doubled, from 383 in 1920 to 843 in 1930. Cattle ranching continued to be of primary importance, with almost 37,000 head on county farms in 1930. Sheep ranching, which was introduced into the county by 1900, reached an all-time high of 13,200 head in 1930. Cropland harvested also more than doubled during the 1920s, with some 70 percent of the 219,000 cultivated acres devoted to wheat culture. Cotton culture began in the 1920s but was only marginally successful because the county was too far north.

Along with the agricultural growth of the early decades of the twentieth century went a corresponding increase in tenant farming. By 1910, 122 sharecroppers lived in Randall County, or about one-third of the farmers. The number of tenants decreased to 93 in 1920, but then reached an all-time peak for the county of 337, or 40 percent of all county farmers, in 1930. During the Great Depression years of the 1930s the county was hard hit by falling agricultural prices, drought, and the dramatic dust storms of 1935 to 1937. Between 1930 and 1940 the number of farms fell by almost 25 percent to 652, and their value fell by 40 percent. Most of the farmers driven out by the depression were sharecroppers, whose numbers declined to 165 by 1940.

Better farming techniques, increased use of irrigation, and such government work programs as the Civilian Conservation Corps are said to have helped Randall County weather the depression and Dust Bowl years. The county prospered and modernized in the 1940s. Sharecropping almost disappeared; by the end of the decade only twenty-three tenants remained. By 1950, 86 percent of the county's 667 farms had electricity, and 84 percent had tractors; mules had practically disappeared. Though sheep declined during the 1930s and 1940s to 2,688 head in 1950, that year some 41,000 cattle were counted on Randall County ranches. Wheat acreage in 1950 reached an all-time high of almost 216,000 acres, or 80 percent of the cropland harvested and more than 70,000 acres was watered by irrigation.

Beginning in the 1940s, Randall County became increasingly urbanized. The extension of Amarillo south from Potter County into north central Randall County in the 1940s increased the county population to 13,774 by 1950. As Amarillo and its metropolitan area continued to grow, the county population almost tripled during the 1950s, to reach 33,913 residents in 1960; it was 53,885 in 1970. Three-quarters of the 75,062 people living in Randall County in 1980 lived in Amarillo. The population of the county overall rose to 89,673 by 1990 and to 104,312 by 2000.

Nevertheless, agriculture continued to play a crucial role in the economy, with cattle and wheat continuing to dominate the rural economy. The number of cattle in the county increased to 40,845 in 1960 and 93,635 in 1982. The county ranked thirty-fourth in the state for agricultural income in 1982, when more than 76 percent of receipts came from livestock. Randall County remained one of the leading wheat-producing counties in the state, with almost two million bushels harvested in 1982. Sorghum culture also continued to be important. In 2002 the county had 748 farms and ranches covering 512,300 acres, 53 percent of which were devoted to crops. In that year farmers and ranchers in the area earned $261,309,000; livestock sales accounted for $250,164,000 of the total. Beef cattle, corn, wheat, sorghum, and hay were the chief agricultural products.

No significant mineral resources have been discovered in the county. In 2000 the county economy primarily consisted of agribusiness, education, tourism, and some manufacturing.

The highway system was extended and improved through the years until by the 1980s Interstate Highway 20 went through Amarillo from east to west on the northern boundary of Randall County, and Interstate 27 had been completed from north to south from Amarillo to Lubbock. U.S. Highway 60 runs through the county from northeast to southwest, and several farm roads cross the county. Randall County supported the Democratic party in all presidential elections, with the exception of 1928, from 1892 through 1948. Residents voted for Republican party candidates in every presidential election from 1952 through 2004. Higher education and tourism have been important in the growth of the county. Amarillo College has operated since 1897. West Texas State Normal College (now West Texas A&M University) opened in Canyon in 1910 and enrolled 6,193 students in 1990. Palo Duro Canyon, with Palo Duro Canyon State Park (deeded to the state in 1933), is an important attraction. Each summer the outdoor drama Texas draws large numbers of people to the park. In Canyon the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum provides an important tourist attraction, and Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1939, provides recreational opportunities in the southwestern part of the county.

Throughout its history the population of Randall County has been predominantly non-Hispanic white. In 2000 about 87 percent of the people in the county were Anglo, 1.6 percent were black, and about 10 percent were Hispanic. Towns in the county include Canyon (2000 population, 12,875), the seat of government; Amarillo (173,627, partly in Potter County); and the resort communities of Lake Tanglewood (825) and Timbercreek Canyon (406). The Canyon News, begun in 1896 as the Stayer, is the county's only newspaper outside of Amarillo.

Back to top
Texas Site Map | | Real Time Web Analytics by Clicky | Copyright © 2009 Genealogy Inc,