Oldham County

Oldham County Offices

Oldham County Town List

In the northwestern region of the Panhandle lies Oldham County. It is bordered by New Mexico and three counties, Hartley County on the north, Deaf Smith County on the south, and Potter County on the east. Oldham County center is 35° 25′ west longitude and 102° 35′ west longitude. The county seat is Vega, 30 miles away from Amarillo.

Odham sourced its name from Williamson Simpson Oldham, a former confederate legislator and lawyer born in Franklin County.

Oldham County History 

The county’s history is within the Canadian River, which runs east to west. Archeological work from 1932, like the excavations of Saddleback Mesa, has shown evidence of the Panhandle Pueblo culture. There’s also been evidence of different pre-Columbian people like artifacts and petroglyphs. Plains Apaches found refuge in the Canadian breaks, followed by Comanches and Kiowas.

Spanish immigrants used the river while traveling towards the east from New Mexico. Pedro Vial is believed to have passed through the area in 1786 and 1788. In an attempt to find Zebulon M. Pike, the Facundo Melgares party passed through the county. The Canadian was a significant trade route for the Comancheros and Ciboleros. In the 1870s, buffalo hunters used the area as a temporary camp. Soon the pastoralists and ranchers followed.

The Texas legislature set up Oldham county from Bexar in 1876, and in 1880, its authority was organized, Tascosa as the county seat. The first sheriff was Caleb B. Willingham, and William S. Mabry became the first county surveyor.

Oldham became the administrative center for the 16 surrounding counties within the Panhandle. Due to ranching activities, the county continued to grow as many ranches occupied a significant part of the county. In 1887, the Denver City and Fort Worth Railways passed through the northeastern area of the county, 2 miles within Tascosa.

As Oldham County grew, the population started shifting towards Vega. The county held a special election by 1915 that moved the county seat to Vega. At that time, only 15 people lived in Tascosa.

Oldham County Climate and Topography 

Oldham County is 1,485 square miles big. It consists mainly of level grassland. The Canadian River breaks the county with its several tributaries. Elevation ranges 3,200 to 4,200 feet asl.

The county contains sandy, loam, and caliche soils that support a selection of native grasses together with shin oaks, mesquite, and sage. Trees such as hackberry, elm, oak, and cottonwood are prominent in the river bottoms.

The area’s soils are not suitable for farming—temperatures in Oldham county average 22 degrees to 92 degrees. The growing season is 186 days.

Oldham County Offices 

The county judge is Don R. Allred. The office address is P.O Box 195, Vega Tx 79092, and the contact is 806-267-2607 on the phone. The county attorney is Kent Birdsong. His office address is P. O. Box 698 Vega, Texas 79092. The attorney’s contact is 806-267-2233. The county clerk is Darla Lookingbill, whose office address is P. O. Box 360 Vega, Texas 79092, and office contact: 806-267-2667.

Oldham County treasurer is Sherri Johnson, whose office address is P. O. Box 571

Vega, TX 79092 and contacts: 806-267-2329. The county tax assessor-collector is Linda Brown. Her office address is P. O. Box 211 105 S. Main Vega, Texas 79092 and contacts:

806-267-2280(phone) and 806-267-0354(fax).

The County sheriff is Sheriff Brent Warden, whose office address is P. O. Box 452 Vega, Texas 79092 and contact: 806-267-2162(phone). Oldham’s justice of the peace is Judge Kristy Homfeld O’Malley, whose address is P. O. Box 370 Vega, Texas 79092, and the office contact is 806-267-2619(phone). The county auditor is Charlotte Cook, whose address is P. O. Box 571 Vega, Texas 79092, and contact: 806-267-2722(phone).

Oldham County Attractions 

Julians Bivins Museum served as a courthouse in Old Tascosa in 1884. The museum contains the county’s history and features the Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, artifacts, and unique collections.

Oldham County Heritage Farm & Ranch Museum is located along Old Route 66. It contains an outdoor gallery of farm and ranch antiques. The museum features early motorized and horse-drawn equipment, threshing machines, and reinstated tractors.

The Magnolia Station, a building of the 1920s, was the second service station in the area. The station is a good picnic station that brings an early time experience. It is also an excellent place for you to take photos.

Boothill Cemetery is where most of the 1880’s population was buried without a clergy in attendance; hence the name “died with their boots on.” A term borrowed from one Dodge City cemetery.

O.G. Roquemore constructed the Oldham County Courthouse in 1915. The first hipped roof was detached, and the county made an addition on the north side of the building. In the southside, the jail was attached.

Mural art is part of Vega. Valerie Doshier and Joshua Finley completed the murals in 2014. The murals are located in Milburn-Price Culture Museum, OC Justice of the Peace Office, and Garrett Field House.

Living in Oldham County 

The cost of living in Oldham County is 78.2 compared to the U.S, which is 100. The living index cost consists of health care, grocery, median home cost, utilities, and transport.

The job market in Oldham County stands as follows, income per capita $25,461, household income $62,426, unemployment rate 4.5, recent job growth -3.28%, and future growth rate 24.98%.

The violent crime rate in Oldham County is 14.9, and property crime is 27.8. Oldham County has 0 schools. The county spends $15,846 per student on education. There’s one teacher for every seven students, one librarian for 430 students, and one counselor for 590 children.

63.5% of people living in Oldham county are religious. 40.6% are baptist, 9.9% catholic, 5.9% methodist, and 7.1% other Christian faith. Other religious groups are insignificant. Renters in Oldham County amount for 18.3%.