Briscoe

Briscoe County

Updated on: November 16, 2021
Coordinates
34 31' 48" N, 101 12' 36" W (34.53, -101.21)
State
Texas
Region
Panhandle
County Seat:
Silverton
Year Organized:
1876
Total Square Miles:
901.572
900 square miles (2,300 km2) land
1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) water
Population:
1528 (2017)
Population: 1,474 Est. (2016) 1,637 (2010)
Persons/Square Mile:
2
Briscoe County Website
http://www.co.briscoe.tx.us/

Contiguous Counties

Armstrong (N)
Donley (NW)
Hall (E)
Motley (SE)
Floyd (S)
Swisher County (W)

Briscoe County Town List

County structure

Government Type:
County
Authority:
Dillon's Rule
Legislative Body:
Commisioners Court
Size of Legislative Body:
5

Demographics

2018 Population:
1528
25 to 64 Years of Age:
47.56%
65 Years of Age and Older:
26.19%

Economy, 2018

Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
$95.5 M
Labor Force:
559
Unemployment Rate:
3.90%

County Contact

PO BOX 375
County Courthouse
Silverton, TX, 79257-0375

http://www.co.briscoe.tx.us

Caprock escarpment is in Briscoe county, and the county is located partly on high plains. The county has mainly loam and sandy soils plus red river forks. Briscoe county has an area of 901.9 square miles.  

The area comprises irregular terrain with as high as 3300 feet altitude and as low as a thousand feet. What’s more? The county’s economy mainly comes from government services and agriculture.  

Though the county has no significant minerals, you may enjoy various sports and activities should you visit the county. Such activities include fishing, hunting, hiking on Tule canyon, Quitaque museums, railway, etc.  

Briscoe county’s annual precipitation on average is 10.5. The growing season here is around 214 days per annum. Also, on average, the yearly minimum temperature is approximately twenty-six degrees Fahrenheit, and the maximum temperature is ninety-four degrees around July.  

Briscoe County Seat and Ethnicity  

The county has several races. According to Texas Almanac, the Anglo and Hispanic are the most significant percentage, making up 68.8% and 25.0%, respectively. Blacks make up 3.3 percent, Asians 0.3 percent, and the other races make up 2.7 percent.  

Silverton, Briscoe County seat, lies five miles SW of central Briscoe. The coordinates of the county seat are 101°15′ W longitude and 34°30′ N latitude. This position lies 60 miles SE Amarillo.  

Briscoe County History  

Comanches displaced the Apaches in the seventeen hundreds. Also, in the eighteen-eighties, ranchers settled in Briscoe county. Plus, just before the ranchers decided, the county started in 1876 and was later organized in eighteen-ninety-two. The county was named after Andrew Briscoe. 

The county has two distinct areas. The development of the county’s natural resources relies on its physiography. Half the county is in the Palo Duro Canyon, while the central and western portions are in Staked Plains. Shallow water underlays a large part of these plains. 

The census conducted in 1880 showed that the county had 12 inhabitants. By 1900, the population had grown to 1253, and by 1910, the population had grown to 2162. The property value was $1,146,656 and by 1920 it was $3,569,544.   

Currently, the county has 1,457 inhabitants, and the property value has increased, and every homestead has an average value of $257,628. 

Please note: the county has a total area of 577,920 acres. Four- eighty thousand and seventy-eight acres were farms in nineteen-ten. By then, the county had three hundred and seven ranches and farms. 

That was a significant improvement compared to the one-seventy farms in nineteen hundred. Moreover, the improved land developed from 9434 acres (1900) to 92000 by 1920, leading to over fifty-thousand cattle and six thousand mules and horses.  

Livestock Rearing and Farming in Briscoe 

Several years ago, Briscoe county was divided among the extensive pastures, and each division would control a few hundred land sections. That’s because over the past years, raising livestock has been the natural economic source.  

The developed water resources and improved cultivation methods have diversified both crop and livestock farming in Briscoe county. Agriculture is possible since a good portion of Brisco county is productive.  

In the past, ranches had small orchards of fruits like peaches and apples. These orchards do well, proving that the climate and soil may favor horticulture.  

Briscoe County Offices 

Most Briscoe county offices are open from eight-thirty to six pm, with some extending to ten pm. The county offices include the county judge, county attorney, county clerk, elections, county treasurer, sheriff, justice of the peace, the commissioners’ court, and tax assessor.  

The county judge is Judge Wayne Nance. You may reach him through Phone: 806-823-2131 

Fax: 806-823-2359. The commissioners’ court has four precincts. The first is ken wood. His office phone and fax are (806)292-822, fax: (806)823-2359.  

The Second Precinct is Jack Wellman. You may reach him by Phone: (806)269-0260, or fax: (806)823-2359. Danny Francis is the third precinct. You may reach him by phone at (806)292-2034 or fax at (806)823-2359. The fourth precinct is John Burson.  

Moreover, Emily Teegardin is the county attorney, while Bena Hester is the District clerk. The county treasurer is Amy Fuston, while Gratt Davis is the current sheriff. Chriss Spence and Tommy Deal are the chief deputy and sheriff deputy, respectively.  

You may get the county offices’ contact details on the Brisco county website.  

Briscoe County District Court 

Briscoe county district court has three offices: District court judge, district attorney, and district clerk. The current judge is Judge William P. Smith, and he is the 110th district court judge.  

The office of the district attorney oversees the child support programs. What’s more? The county court also attends Briscoe county residents’ appeals. 

If one may not afford court costs, they may obtain a statement indicating their inability to afford the fee. Also, you may get the nondisclosure order, appointed attorneys and their payment reports, and civil cases.  

Briscoe County Financial Transparency 

Briscoe county has several budgets, including the proposed budget, adopted budget, and edited budget. These are budgets that undergo various processes. Thus, the public may access these county badgers on the website, whether they are for the previous years or the coming year 2022.  

For additional financial transparency, the treasurer also avails the transparency utility reports. Also, you may obtain the annual financial reports and the yearly debt statements from the treasurer’s reports.  

For any inquiries you may have, you can contact any Briscoe county office according to your need.   

Briscoe County TX towns  

Quitaque: the town is along TX Highway eighty-six. It’s between Silverton westward and Turkey eastwards. If you may want to visit the Caprock canyons, its entrance is three miles northwards of Quitaque.   

According to the USCB, the town has an area of 0.7 square miles. The city has an elevation of 2,572 ft and a population of 407. Also, the town zip code is 79255, and the area’s code is 806.  

Silverton: is in central-west Briscoe. TX highway eighty-six cuts across the town. Plus, Silverton has an area of one square mile. The town’s climate is semi-arid. The city’s population is 716.