Cochran County

Cochran County was formed on August 21, 1876 from lands originally assigned to Bexar and Young counties and was named in honor of Robert E. Cochran, who died defending the Alamo.

Cochran County has a rich ranching history, including the XIT, Surrat and Slaughter ranches.

Cochran County remained unorganized for nearly fifty years after its creation and was one of the last counties in Texas to be organized and the last to be settled.

The 1900 census showed a total of 25 men, 0 women, 0 children, living in Cochran County; all ranch hands. The county would not see a population boom until the late 1920s when the Slaughter heirs began selling some of their land to farmers looking to settle the area.

The organization of the county would prove to be rocky, dividing the county between the ranchers, who owned much of the land,
and the farmers who moved in to settle the area.

Two elections would be held to name the county seat, and at one point in the county's early years, there were two sets of commissioners and judges and the matter would have to go to court to be settled. During this time it wasn't uncommon to see men with rifles guarding the entrance to the land office or the temporary courthouse out of fear the other side would attempt to kidnap the clerk or steal county records.

Cochran County has a rich and diverse history and we are excited to get as much of this online as possible, we hope you find the information contained on this site helpful and interesting.

This site would not be possible with out the Cochran County Historical Commission, the Texas's Last Frontier Historical Museum in Morton, Texas; and all of the wonderful people who have contributed their stories, histories, photographs and more.

If you have photographs, stories, biographies, documents, records or anything else pertaining to Cochran County history you'd like to share here, please, email me!