Cottle County [Cover]
Name/Title
Cottle County [Cover]Description
Cover from "FANNIN COUNTY BANK, / BONHAM, Texas" addressed to "E. F. Kennedy / Cottle / Texas. Postmarked "BONHAM / FEB 12 / TEX." and cancelled with a geometric cancel.Context
The Fannin County Bank was chartered in 1872, and the Texas legislature established Cottle County in 1876, attaching it for administrative purposes to Fannin County until 1887, when it became attached to Childress County. During this time, Cottle remained largely a grazing area. Some cattle were apparently brought in from New Mexico, and ranches such as the OX, SMS, and Matador established their headquarters in the area. The census of 1880 showed only twenty-four persons living in Cottle County. Between that year and 1890 the pace of growth quickened with the arrival of such settlers as J. J. McAdams, who had his headquarters at the site of present Paducah, and J. H. Cansler, who had a dugout on Buck Creek. In 1886 a post office was established at Otta Springs, near the present site of Paducah. The census counted fifty farms and ranches in Cottle County in 1890, when the population was 240.Category
The Handbook of Texas