Howard County

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just the one passing it along. Now, out here in West Texas, the land has a way of taking its time. Counties don't just appear overnight.

They get carved, shaped, argued over, and finally called something worth remembering. Howard County is exactly that kind of story. It was formed from Young and Bexar Territories.

Two big pieces of Texas geography giving up a little of themselves to make something new. The official act came down on August 21, 1876. That's when Howard County was created on paper.

But creation and organization, those are two different animals. It took until June 15, 1882, for the county to actually get itself organized and up and running. Now, the name.

Howard County carries the name of one Volney Erskine Howard, born in 1809, died in 1889. And this is a man whose resume demands you sit up a little straighter. He came to Texas in 1844.

From there, the doors just kept opening. He was a delegate to the first state constitutional convention. Think about that.

The first one. The room where Texas decided what Texas was going to be. Volney Erskine Howard was in it.

He went on to serve in the state legislature. Then he went further still, all the way to the United States Congress. Not a man who stayed put, this Howard.

And the county seat of this place named in his honor? Big Spring. Which, if you've ever driven through, you know sits out there under a wide open sky like it has absolutely nothing to prove.

Volney Erskine Howard came to Texas in 1844, helped write the rules for a brand new state, and wound up with his name on a county that didn't even get organized until long after he'd made his mark. Some legacies just keep arriving late, and they're still welcome.

What the marker says

Formed from Young and Bexar Territories. Created August 21, 1876. Organized June 15, 1882. Named in honor of Volney Erskine Howard 1809-1889. Came to Texas in 1844. Delegate to the first state constitutional convention. Member of the state legislature. Member of the United States Congress. Big Spring, the county seat