Ward County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ward County
U.S. county
The Ward County Courthouse in Monahans
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1892
Named for	Thomas W. Ward
Seat	Monahans
Largest city	Monahans
Area
• Total	836 sq mi (2,170 km²)
• Land	836 sq mi (2,170 km²)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²) 0.03%
Population (2020)
• Total	11,644
• Density	13.928/sq mi (5.378/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	23rd

Ward County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,644. The county seat is Monahans. The county was created in 1887 and organized in 1892. It is named for Thomas W. Ward, a soldier in the Texas Revolution.

History
- Native Americans
- Growth
Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
Communities
See also

History

Native Americans

Archeological investigations conducted in northwestern Ward County have found evidence of prehistoric man in the form of occupational debris, petroglyphs, and pictographs. Tribes occupying the area include Suma-Jumano, Apache and Comanche. The sand hills have contained native artifacts.

Growth

The Butterfield Overland Mail in 1858 used Emigrant's Crossing, where exposed rocks afford one of the few places safe for fording the Pecos River. The stage line had an adobe station and a high-walled adobe corral there.

In 1881 the Texas and Pacific Railway crossed the region and established stations at Sand Hills, Monahans, Aroya, Pyote, Quito, Quito Quarry, and Barstow.

The Texas state legislature carved Ward County from a portion of Tom Green County in 1887. The county was organized in 1892. Barstow became the county seat. Barstow became a farming and ranching trade center by 1904. Drought plagued the area in the early part of the 20th Century.

Ward County benefitted from the opening of the Hendrick oilfield Winkler County in 1926. Pipelines and railroad loading tanks were constructed at Wickett, Pyote and Monahans. Oil was discovered at Grandfalls in 1929, and the nearby community of Royalty was established. Shell Oil Company constructed an 8-acre (32,000 m²) tank that would hold a million barrels. By January 1, 1991 - 668,715,000 barrels (106,317,200 m³) of oil had been produced in the county since 1928.

On May 10, 1938, Monahans won a contested election to move the county seat from Barstow to Monahans. The election was upheld in 1939, and the county seat moved to Monahans that year.

Pyote Air Force Station opened in 1942, becoming the largest bomber installation in the United States. The plane Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, was later stored here. The base became inactive during the Korean War.

Monahans Sandhills State Park opened in 1957. The Sealy-Smith Foundation leased much of the land to the state in 1956 until 2056. An additional 900 acres (3.6 km²) was leased from the Williams family of Monahans, Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 836 square miles (2,170 km²), of which 836 square miles (2,170 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.03%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 20
State Highway 18
State Highway 115
State Highway 329

Adjacent counties

Winkler County (north)
Ector County (northeast)
Crane County (east)
Pecos County (south)
Reeves County (west)
Loving County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	77	—
1900	1,451	1,784.4%
1910	2,389	64.6%
1920	2,615	9.5%
1930	4,599	75.9%
1940	9,575	108.2%
1950	13,346	39.4%
1960	14,917	11.8%
1970	13,019	−12.7%
1980	13,976	7.4%
1990	13,115	−6.2%
2000	10,909	−16.8%
2010	10,658	−2.3%
2020	11,644	9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Ward County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	4,922	4,506	46.18%	38.70%
Black or African American alone (NH)	474	415	4.45%	3.56%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	48	41	0.45%	0.35%
Asian alone (NH)	31	69	0.29%	0.59%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	2	0.00%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	9	22	0.08%	0.19%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	100	264	0.94%	2.27%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5,074	6,325	47.61%	54.32%
Total	10,658	11,644	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.