Historical Marker
Yoakum County
Plains, Yoakum County · Texas
Erected 1936
Yoakum was born in Claiborne County, Tennessee, in 1810, graduated from West Point in 1832 and soon resigned to practice law at Murfreesboro, where he became mayor in 1837. He fought in the Cherokee War and, as a Tennessee state senator from 1839 to 1845, urged the annexation of Texas. He settled at Huntsville in 1845, helped make it the Walker County seat, served under Jack Hays at Monterrey in 1846, wrote the charter of Austin College in 1849 and became director of the state penitentiary.
What the plaque says
Yoakum County Created August 21, 1876, from Bexar County. Named for Henderson Yoakum, who wrote a classic on early Texas history. Only Texas county named for an author. Indian activity and frontier hazards made growth slow. Only itinerant buffalo hunters and scattered ranchers here until after 1900. County organized September 7, 1907. By 1910 population reached 602 as result of sale of state lands. Discovery of oil in 1935 brought industry and more people. A "Bonus Shack" typical of cabins used by homesteaders is used as a historical museum in Plains, the county seat. (1965)
Where it stands
33.18885, -102.82931 · Directions
More markers nearby
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