First County Officials
Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First Anglo-Americans settled in Wichita County in 1856. The county was named for Indians, and Indian troubles delayed local organization until 1882. The first officials were: Judge, James S. Akers; Attorney, Robert E. Huff; Sheriff, F.M. Davis; County and District Clerk, W. E.Brothers; Assessor, James H. Banta; Surveyor, A. Warren; Treasurer, John A. Williams; Inspector of Hides and Animals, B. M. Saxon; Commissioners--Precinct No. 1, Thomas J. Williams; Precinct No. 2, Joseph McFarland; Precinct No. 3, M. B. Bynam; Precinct No. 4, E. G. Bullard. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The first Anglo-American settlers reached Wichita County in 1856, but frontier conflict with Native peoples—for whom the county was named—delayed its formal organization until 1882. That year residents finally seated a full slate of officials, from Judge James S. Akers and Attorney Robert E. Huff down to the inspector of hides and animals. The roster captures the moment a raw frontier district became a functioning county.
Why it matters
The marker records the bureaucratic birth of local self-government on the North Texas plains, a milestone in the settler expansion that displaced the region's Native inhabitants.
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Related people
- · James S. Akers
- · Robert E. Huff
- · F. M. Davis
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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