Welcome to Armstrong County TXGenWeb!

Armstrong County was formed 21 Aug 1876 from Bexar County but was not organized until 8 Mar 1890. The county seat is Claude. White settlers did not arrive until the 1870's after the Red River War forced the Comanches to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Charles Goodnight brought 1600 head of cattle to Armstrong County in 1876 and he and his partner, John G Adair eventually owned a ranch of over 1,335,000 acres, encompassing most of Armstrong County and parts of five counties around it. After the railroad came to Armstrong County in 1887, settlers began arriving in earnest. Armstrong County was named for one of the pioneer families in the area but no one is sure which family. As of the 2000 Federal Census, Armstrong County had a population of 2,148 people.

About one third of Armstrong is taken up by the Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon system in the United States. The 120 mile long canyon was cut by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and is a scenic attraction for hardy visitors who like to hike. The southeastern portion of Palo Duro Canyon State Park is in Armstrong County. The canyon was the home of the legendary J A Ranch and Charles Goodnight.

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We need volunteers!

If you have information that can be posted to this site or if you would like to learn to transcribe records, please contact County Coordinator, Gina Heffernan. We accept any historical or genealogical information pertaining to Armstrong County. We are always in need of volunteers for various projects.

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