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Famous Cattle Towns

San Angelo, Texas: Fort Town That Became a West Texas Livestock Center

San Angelo started as a village serving soldiers and became a hub for the sheep and cattle ranches of West Texas.

How did San Angelo begin?

San Angelo sits where the North and South Concho Rivers meet. The permanent settlement dates to 1867, when the U.S. government established Fort Concho to protect westward settlers, according to the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. Fort Concho closed in 1889 and city officials restored it in the 1980s and 1990s, and it is now a major tourist attraction.

In 1870 San Antonio entrepreneur Bart DeWitt bought land along the Concho River, across from the fort, to found a town. The village struggled early on and survived mainly by serving military personnel and their families. The encyclopedia's San Angelo entry gives that account, and the Kansas context below comes from the cowtown overview. Its population history shows how steady the later growth was once the town was established, climbing from 25,309 in 1930 to 52,093 in 1950.

Why did the railroad matter to San Angelo?

Until 1882 most commerce in the area went through Ben Ficklin, a nearby village. A devastating flood that year destroyed it. In 1888 the Santa Fe Railroad connected San Angelo to the outside world, which ensured its growth.

The Encyclopedia of the Great Plains ties the city's growth directly to that connection.

Was San Angelo a sheep town or a cattle town?

Both. By the late 1800s San Angelo had become a major center for sheep and cattle ranching, according to the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. The page does not describe how many animals were marketed or give figures for livestock auctions, and this page does not guess at them.

The context is the cattle era documented by the Kansas Historical Society, which notes that after the Civil War Texas held about five million cattle and no railroads, and that drives ran from 1866 to 1885. San Angelo's rail connection came in 1888, as that era was closing.

What Made It Work

San Angelo outlasted the fort that created it by finding a second economy in ranching.

The record is limited, so this section sticks to what the sources show.

  • It was founded beside a federal fort, which supplied customers in its first years.
  • It survived a weak start by serving soldiers and their families.
  • It outlived a nearby rival: the 1882 flood destroyed Ben Ficklin and left San Angelo as the area's center.
  • It gained a railroad connection in 1888, which ensured its growth.
  • It built a ranching economy of sheep and cattle by the late 1800s.
  • It added cotton farming in the early 1900s and oil in the early 1920s, so it was not tied to one trade.

Growth and later economy

Cotton farming grew in the early 1900s and oil was struck nearby in the early 1920s. The city's population was 25,309 in 1930, more than double the 1920 figure, then 52,093 in 1950, 73,240 in 1980, 84,474 in 1990 and 88,439 in 2000.

The numbers show a livestock town that diversified instead of shrinking when open-range ranching changed.

Learn more about cattle country

Readers who want to follow the story of Texas cattle can start with the ranching section of farm.FM. For a related read see a farm.FM story about West Texas ranch country. The Kansas Historical Society's overview of Kansas cowtowns describes the trail era that preceded San Angelo's growth.

Timeline

  1. 1867Fort Concho established; permanent settlement dated to this year
  2. 1870Bart DeWitt buys land across the river to found a town
  3. 1882Flood destroys nearby Ben Ficklin
  4. 1888Santa Fe Railroad connects San Angelo
  5. 1889Fort Concho closed
  6. 1920sOil struck nearby in the early 1920s
  7. 1930Population 25,309

Frequently asked questions

Who founded San Angelo, Texas?

The permanent settlement dates to 1867 with Fort Concho. In 1870 San Antonio entrepreneur Bart DeWitt bought land across the river from the fort to found the town.

Why is San Angelo a livestock center?

By the late 1800s it had become a major center for sheep and cattle ranching, helped by the Santa Fe Railroad connection in 1888 that opened it to outside markets.

What happened to Ben Ficklin?

A devastating flood in 1882 destroyed Ben Ficklin, the nearby village where most commerce had been, leaving San Angelo as the center of local trade.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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