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 TX Borden County
Borden County


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GAIL, TEXAS

Borden County Seat, Texas Panhandle / West Texas

32° 46' 13" N, 101° 26' 43" W (32.770278, -101.445278)

US 180, FM 669
31 miles W of Snyder
31 miles E of Lamesa
40 miles N of Big Spring
About 72 Miles S of Lubbock
About 111 Miles W of Abeline
Population: 231 (2010)

Book Area Hotel Here › Big Spring Hotels | Snyder Hotels

Gail, Texas Topics

  • History
  • Gail Attractions / Landmarks & Photo Gallery
  • Borden County Courthousenext page
  • Gail / Borden County Chronicles
  • Scenic Drive
  • Big Spring Hotels | Snyder Hotels

  • Gail Tesxas - "We don't sell gas"
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2008

    History in a Pecan Shell

    Gail Borden, Jr is one of the few people to have a Texas county named after him, as well as two separate towns. Gail, in Borden County is in West Texas while Borden, Texas is in SE Texas in Colorado County – just West of Columbus.

    Gail was chosen to be the county seat in 1891. It is said there was a “land boom” in 1903, although it’s hard to tell today. When new settlers bought land here, they were identified by blue ribbons on their shirt sleeves. Older settlers wore red ribbons. During this tense period (known as the Ribbon War or The War of Ribbons) bloodshed was avoided although there were a lot of dirty looks and hurt feelings.

    The population peaked in 1910 with 700 residents but by 1920 it had lost 100 of those. The onset of the Great Depression lowered that population even more and by the mid 1930s, it was down to just 250.

    The 1980 census counted less than 900 people in the entire county with 189 of them living in Gail and the 1990 population count was 202. The 2000 census was 189 and in 2010, the county held 641 people while Gail housed 231 of those.

    Gail, Texas
    Attractions / Landmarks


    Borden County Courthouse, Gail, Texas
    Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson, August, 2006
    Borden County Courthouse
    Gail Tx - Borden County Jail and Historical Marker
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2009
    Borden County Jail
    Gail Tx - Borden County Centennial Marker
    Borden County Centennial Marker on courthouse square
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2009
    Gail Tx - Borden County Centennial Marker

    Borden County Centennial Marker
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2009
    More Texas Centennial

    Gail TX - Closed cafe
    Closed cafe
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, September 2010
    Gail TX store

    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, September 2010
    More Texas Stores

    Gail TX road sign
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2009
    Welcome to Gail
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, September 2010
    More Texas Signs
    TX - Gail Cemetery Historical Marker
    Gail Cemetery historical marker
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2008
    More Texas Cemeteries

    Gail Cemetery

    Borden County, created in 1876, was organized in 1891, the same year the town of Gail was established as county seat. The next year, J.I. and L.E. Wilborn gave land for the courthouse square and three churches, and dedicated Block 18 of the townsite for a burial ground. The cemetery had been used as early as March 1891 for the burial of Fetnah Alexander. At least nine unmarked graves exist, some of which may be earlier. In January 1901, J.I. Wilborn officially deeded the tract to trustees for the county-operated cemetery.

    Buried here are many county officials, including Sid Reeder and his wife, Iva, who both served as county sheriff. Others interred here include veterans of military conflicts dating to the Civil War, three of the original cemetery trustees, and John Henry Smoot, a stonemason who built the foundation and vault for the courthouse, and carved many of the cemetery's early grave markers.

    The Borden County Cemetery Association and Commissioners Court maintain the burial ground, and family members and others donate time and funds to preserve this tie to their local and family history.

    Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003



    More Gail, Texas Attractions / Landmarks
  • Borden County Courthouse › next page
    A 1939 one story brick building with cast cement detail.

  • Borden County Jail › next page

  • Borden County Historical Museum
    Borden County pioneer days. Inquire at the courthouse.

  • J.B. Thomas Lake - On the Colorado River

  • Big Spring Hotels | Snyder Hotels



  • Oil portrail of Gail Borden
    Oil Portrait of Gail Borden
    Photo of Portrait courtesy Karen Ross
    I have a portrait of Gail Borden. Metal sign on the frame:
    Gail Borden 1801-1874
    Founder The Borden Company
    The portrait is signed by C. Verne. Klenitworth

    This portrait hung in the Tampa, Florida, Borden Dairy plant for many many years, till the plant closed in 1990. I rescued it from the dumpster and it has been hanging on my wall. I also have a book “The Borden Company, Private Code, from July 3rd, 1925. The book is number 403. This book was to tell Plant mangers what words to use in a telegram, instead of using the exact words. I also have a plaque with the silhouette of Gail Borden and 1857 and “I tried and failed. I tried again and again and succeeded.” Gail Borden
    - Karen Ross, December 25, 2004



    Gail / Borden County Chronicles
  • When Borden (County) Was Bone Dry by Mike Cox
    Those who lived through the 1917-20 drought never forgot it.



  • Scenic Drive

    FM 669 - According to the Texas Travel Guide "FM669 north toward Post ascends the Texas High Plains. ... The road climbs the abrupt edge through panoramas of steep cliffs and colorful canyons."

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    Take a road trip

    Texas Panhandle / West Texas

    Mesquite, Texas Nearby Towns:
    Snyder | Lamesa | Big Spring
    See Borden County


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    Big Spring Hotels | More Hotels
    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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