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Sterling County was created from Tom Green County in 1841. The region was within a land grant made by Sam Houston in 1842 to Henry F. Fisher and Burchard Miller but apparently no one settled here. The first people who lived here were buffalo hunters including W. S. Sterling and S. J. Wiley. Fort Concho/Camp Hatch/Camp Kelly was established by the United States Army in 1867. Camp Elizabeth, an outpost of Fort Concho near the site of present Sterling City, protected ranchers who moved into the area during the 1870s - large ranches such as the Half Circle S, established by the Peacock brothers; the MS, set up by Schuster, Henry, and Company; and the U Ranch, established by D. A. Earnest and W. J. Holland. By the mid-1880s, homesteaders were in competition with the ranches and the ranchers moved elsewhere.

Resources

On-Site

Census Records History Land Records Local Information Lookups Military Records Obituaries Photographs Queries Surnames Surrounding Counties Vital Records

Off-Site

Sterling Archives Other TXGenWeb Counties Portal to Texas History Query Board

Communities

(g) indicates a ghost town
Broome
Iolanthe (g)
Sterling