Jack County

AgriLife Extension Service Office

Welcome to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Jack County

Jack County, originally part of Cooke County, was created on August 14, 1856. It was named for two brothers, William H. Jack and Patrick C. Jack who were lawyers that came to Texas from Georgia in 1832. They aided in the fight for Texas independence and held elected offices in the State.

The first county courthouse was completed on August 17, 1858 in Jacksboro, which was originally called Mesquiteville because of the large mesquite trees. The name was changed to Jacksboro in 1858.

In 1867, a frontier post named Fort Richardson was established to protect settlers in the county; however, In the spring of 1878 it was abandoned as a military post. The original hospital and field officer quarters have been restored and are now preserved as a State park.

The Butterfield Overland Mail Route and the Chicago, Rock Island, and Texas Railway passed through Jacksboro. The Butterfield Stage made its first run from St. Louis to San Francisco on September 15, 1858. The original Butterfield Overland Mail Route passed about three miles south of Jacksboro until a narrow passageway through a cliff was purposely blocked by large boulders, causing the mail route to be diverted through Jacksboro.

Tom M. Marks organized the Corn Club on September 8, 1907, in Jacksboro. New types of corn seed were distributed among the membership of 111 boys. Each boy received 1 gallon of corn. The following year, the first county fair was held. There were 91 boys and 30 other men exhibiting their corn in addition to the 270 other exhibits. Upon seeing how well the boys’ corn grew, the farmers began to apply some of the same techniques. The Corn Club survived and evolved into the 1st Texas 4-H Club. Marks’ home was purchased by the Jack County Historical Society and became the Jack County Museum and is known as the birthplace of Texas 4-H.

Jack County Resources, Publications and Links

AgriLife Extension offers key programs across the state that are organized and supported at the county level. Click the links below for more information about local programming or contact your county office at 940-567-2132

Validation Tag Orders Due for Jack County

Tag orders for steers and fall heifer, lambs, and goats need to be turned in by March 27th to advisors.

Tag orders for fall pigs need to be turned in by April 24th to advisors.

All tags will be $25 per tag.

There will be a date TBA in the summer for tagging/validation.

If heifers have been previously validated they will not need to revalidate unless breed or exhibitor has changed.

There will be a a late fall date for tagging/validation for heifers, goats, lambs and pigs going to spring shows. If heifers are on feed already you can get it done during the summer and do not have to do it in the fall.