DUANE
Duane's take
The way I tell it, I'm followin' the words carved right into the official Jack County historical marker — so let's let the record speak. Jack County. Created in 1856, organized in 1857, and named for two brothers — W.
H. and P. C. Jack — patriots both in the Texas Revolution.
Two brothers, one county, and a whole lot of history still to come. Now before the county had barely found its footing, the Butterfield Overland Mail came rolling through. From 1858 to 1861, that famous mail route kept three stage stops right here in Jack County.
Three. You can almost hear the horses and the creak of leather if you listen close enough. Then 1861 arrived, and the nation started tearing itself apart.
Here's something worth sitting with: Jack County voted against secession. Seventy-six to fourteen. That's not a close call, friends — that's a statement.
And yet, when the war came, the county's men went different directions. Some fought in frontier units. Some wore Confederate gray.
Others joined the Federal army. A county divided the way the whole country was divided, right here on the Texas frontier. Fort Richardson was established in 1867, and it didn't take long before it found itself at the center of one of the most consequential events in the history of the Plains.
In 1871, near Jacksboro, Kiowas massacred the teamsters of the Warren Wagon Train. General of the Army W. T.
Sherman was at the fort when word came in. Sherman sent General Ranald S. MacKenzie — the fort's commander — to arrest the Indians responsible.
What followed was history in the strictest legal sense: Chiefs Satanta and Big Tree were convicted in what were the first non-tribal trials of Plains Indians in North Texas. Whatever you make of that chapter, it marked a turning point. And MacKenzie wasn't finished.
By 1875, his raiders had pushed deep enough and hard enough that West Texas was opened for settlement. One campaign, one general, and a map that looked different on the other side of it. Now here's the one that might surprise you most — and I'll tell it straight because it earns its own drama.
On September 8, 1907, a County Agent named Tom Marks founded a Corn Club in Jacksboro. A Corn Club. Sounds modest, right?
That Corn Club turned out to be the forerunner of the International 4-H Clubs. Started right here, in Jack County, by one man with a plan and a patch of ground. Today, Fort Richardson still stands — seven original buildings intact — designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, with a museum open the year round.
Over in Jacksboro, there's a circular high school building and old limestones on the square worth a look. The lakes, parks, and campgrounds draw folks out here for recreation. And the economy?
Agriculture, oil, cattle, sheep, and goats — the same steady backbone the land has always offered. Two brothers gave this county its name. One Corn Club changed the world's children.
And in between, just about everything else happened here too.
What the marker says
Created 1856. Organized 1857. Named for W. H. and P. C. Jack, brothers and patriots in the Texas Revolution. Butterfield Overland Mail, 1858-1861, had 3 stage stops in county. In 1861, Jack County voted against secession, 76-14. Most men fought in frontier units. Some were Confederates; others joined Federal army. Fort Richardson was established in 1867. In 1871 near Jacksboro, Kiowas massacred Warren Wagon Train teamsters. General of the Army W. T. Sherman, then at the fort, sent General Ranald S. MacKenzie, commander, to arrest the Indians. Chiefs Satanta and Big Tree were convicted in first non-tribal trials of Plains Indians in North Texas. By 1875 MacKenzie's raiders had opened West Texas for settlement. A Corn Club founded in Jacksboro by County Agent Tom Marks on September 8, 1907, was the forerunner of the International 4-H Clubs. Fort Richardson, with 7 original buildings standing, is now a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Museum is open the year round. Other attractions include circular high school building and old limestones on square, Jacksboro. Recreation centers about lakes, parks, campgrounds. Economy is based on agriculture, oil, cattle, sheep, and goats. (1965)