Jim Wells County

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the voice that carries it down the road. Jim Wells County. Out here in South Texas, every county has a story, and this one starts with a single stroke of the pen.

March 11, 1911, the state of Texas formed Jim Wells County from Nueces County. That's how quick it happened. One day it's Nueces County land, and less than two months later, on May 6, 1911, the county is organized and open for business.

Alice, sitting right there at the heart of it all, becomes the county seat. Now, a county needs a name, and this one got a good one. Jim Wells County is named for Judge James B.

Wells, and the marker calls him an able lawyer. Not just a lawyer. An able one.

There's a whole reputation folded into that one word. Judge Wells was born near Aransas Pass, Texas, on July 12, 1854, and he lived a life connected to this stretch of the state, down along the Gulf Coast and the Rio Grande country. He died at Brownsville, December 21, 1923.

A county named for you, stretching across South Texas soil, carrying your name on every map and every deed and every road sign. Not a bad way to be remembered.

What the marker says

Formed from Nueces County, created March 11, 1911, organized May 6, 1911. Named for Judge James B. Wells, an able lawyer. Born near Aransas Pass, Texas, July 12, 1854; died at Brownsville, December 21, 1923. Alice, the county seat.