Donley County, Texas

Donley County, in the eastern Panhandle just east of the Llano Estacado, is bordered on the north by Gray County, on the west by Armstrong County, on the east by Collingsworth County, and on the south by Briscoe and Hall counties.

Cities, Towns & Communities

Ashtola | Clarendon – county seat | Giles | Hedley | Howardwick | Jerico | Lelia Lake

History

Donley County. Formed from Young and Bexar territories; Created August 21, 1876; Organized March 22, 1882; Named in honor of Stockton P. Donley 1821-1871; a Confederate officer elected to the Texas Supreme Bench in 1866; Clarendon, the County Seat. Historical Marker text, 1936 – Centennial Marker. Marker location: In roadside park, at intersection of U.S. 287 & S.H. 70 on west side of Clarendon.

Donley County History 1922. Situated on the southern tier of the Panhandle counties, Donley was among the first of the county divisions in this section of the state to be organized. Its boundaries were formed in 1876, and in March, 1882, a county government was organized. The county seat, Clarendon, is one of the oldest centers of settlement in the Panhandle. It was laid out as a town about 1878, at which time there was no railroad within 300 miles. The surrounding surrounding country was entirely taken up by cattlemen and their interests, but with the extension of the Fort Worth & Denver Railroad through the county in 1887 a new era was inaugurated. When Clarendon was moved from its former location on the Salt Fork of the Red River to its present location, five miles south of the original one, it began to grow and attracted many merchants, real estate men, cattle dealers and others, and was also the home center for many of the cattlemen operating in that section. Clarendon is now one of the important towns along the Fort Worth & Denver Railway, and in 1920 had a population of about 3,000. 

Location

Clarendon, TX 34° 56′ 16.1844″ N, 100° 53′ 17.5164″ W

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