BlockBefore

Oldham County, Texas

21 topographic sheets cover 18 settlements here, and 1 property is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

1 National Register listing published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Texas within the United States
Oldham County within Texas

What the record shows

  • 110 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 1 property here is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a building.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 18 populated places in this county; 18 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

1

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Vega Motelbuilding200606000926

Bird's-eye views and land ownership maps

1

Drawn when these were printed as single large sheets: the town seen from the air, and the county divided into its farms with every owner named. Each opens the original at the Library of Congress.

Land ownership map, 1888 - Oldham County, state of Texas
Land ownership map (1888) - Oldham County, state of Texas. Library of Congress.

The county from the air

24 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 1,838 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 24 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-09-02, scale 1:60000
1954-09-02, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-09-02, scale 1:60000
1954-09-02, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-09-02, scale 1:60000
1954-09-02, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-09-02, scale 1:60000
1954-09-02, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-17, scale 1:18000
1965-02-17, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-17, scale 1:18000
1965-02-17, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-17, scale 1:18000
1965-02-17, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-17, scale 1:18000
1965-02-17, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-06-14, scale 1:18400
1967-06-14, scale 1:18400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-06-14, scale 1:18400
1967-06-14, scale 1:18400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-06-14, scale 1:18400
1967-06-14, scale 1:18400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-06-14, scale 1:18400
1967-06-14, scale 1:18400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-22, scale 1:17600
1970-04-22, scale 1:17600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-22, scale 1:17600
1970-04-22, scale 1:17600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-22, scale 1:17600
1970-04-22, scale 1:17600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-22, scale 1:17600
1970-04-22, scale 1:17600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-06-12, scale 1:114404
1974-06-12, scale 1:114404. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-06-12, scale 1:114404
1974-06-12, scale 1:114404. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-06-12, scale 1:114404
1974-06-12, scale 1:114404. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-06-12, scale 1:114404
1974-06-12, scale 1:114404. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-18, scale 1:41090
1977-02-18, scale 1:41090. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-18, scale 1:41090
1977-02-18, scale 1:41090. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-18, scale 1:41090
1977-02-18, scale 1:41090. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-18, scale 1:41090
1977-02-18, scale 1:41090. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

7 stations, 1 gage

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that measured the flow of its streams, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

  • VEGA 2NW 1923 to 2026, hottest 42.2 C, coldest -27.2 C
  • ADRIAN 1938 to 1948
  • BRAVO 1941 to 2026, hottest 42.8 C, coldest -27.2 C
  • TASCOSA 1941 to 1984, hottest 42.8 C, coldest -15.6 C
  • VEGA SCS 101 2 46 1941 to 1942, hottest 37.2 C, coldest -17.8 C
  • BOYS RCH 1964 to 2026, hottest 43.3 C, coldest -24.4 C
  • ADRIAN 6N 2007 to 2026

The 1950 census, district by district

5 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

  • 180-1Justice Precinct 1
  • 180-2Justice Precinct 2
  • 180-3Justice Precinct 3: Vega town
  • 180-4Justice Precinct 3 - That part outside Vega town
  • 180-5Justice Precinct 4

Wildfire, 1996 to 2020

254 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 254 of them, burning about 114,714 acres. 37 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined114
Equipment and vehicle use48
Natural37
Smoking27
Power generation/transmission/distribution15
Debris and open burning10
Other causes2
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
15 June 2006Natural25,000 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCANADIAN FIRE
15 March 2018Equipment and vehicle use15,682 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCOUNTY LINE
24 May 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined15,280 acresCibola National Forest296
10 March 2006Equipment and vehicle use13,000 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceOLDHAM BOYS RANCH
23 February 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined12,913 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLIT RANCH
16 December 2016Power generation/transmission/distribution6,493 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGREEN BACA
4 August 2016Equipment and vehicle use3,000 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceDURRETT NORTH FIRE
6 April 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined3,000 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1958 to 2025

60 of 458 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 458 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 3 injuries and about $980,810 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail309
Thunderstorm Wind115
Tornado25
Flash Flood6
Flood2
Funnel Cloud1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 1989Tornado (F1)not stated2 hurt, $250,000no account filed
April 2004Thunderstorm WindAdrian1 hurt, $150,000Tractor trailer was blown over on Interstate 40 with one person receiving injuries.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindAdrian$189,000Tractor trailer overturned on Interstate 40 due to the high winds and wind damage to crops in the area. Also...two pivot sprinklers sustained major damage four or five miles east of the town of Simms Texas. One pivot sprinkler was twisted and the other was completely turned over. No injuries reported.
June 1994HailVega$50,000no account filed
July 2005Thunderstorm WindAdrian$46,000Damage reported to numerous buildings with metal roofs blown off.
July 2002Flash FloodVega$45,000Numerous cars were stranded in high water in the town of Vega.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindVega$30,000Five inch tree limbs reported broken and shingles blown off of roofs of homes in Vega.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindVega$25,000Thunderstorm wind gusts caused damage to the roof of a gas station and also overturned a tractor trailer. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch$25,000no account filed
June 2012Thunderstorm WindAdrian$20,000The Oldham County Sheriff's Office relayed a public report of part of a roof on a house was blown off by the thunderstorm wind gusts. There were no injuries or fatalities.
June 2003HailWildorado$20,000The windows of some houses were broken by the large hail.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindAdrian$20,000An eighteen wheeler was reported blown over.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindVega$16,000Multiple tractor trailers were flipped at mile marker 35 on Interstate-40.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch$15,000Ten 65-foot power poles and two 40-foot power poles were snapped due to thunderstorm winds. The time of occurrence has been estimated from radar data.
August 2008HailAdrian$11,000The large hail broke out windows on several homes on the north and west sides of Adrian. No injuries were reported.
June 2025HailVega$10,000Hail dented cars as well as some windows were knocked out of a house.
May 2024HailAdrian$10,000Quarter to golfball size hail fell to the west of Adrian. A house was hit with dime to quarter size hail, but the worst part of the storm stayed just west of its location.
June 1999HailVega$10,000no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindVega$8,000A tractor trailer was flipped on Interstate-40 at mile marker 42.
June 1994HailVega$5,000no account filed
June 2025HailVega$4,000Hail fell around Vega. Most of the hailstones were quarter size but a few were up to golfball size.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindAdrian$4,000A trained spotter reported that thunderstorm wind gusts had blown down a telephone pole and also a storage building was destroyed and windows were broken in a residential structure. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities.
August 2008HailAdrian$4,000A trained spotter reported that the large hail was breaking the windows in his home. No injuries were reported.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindAdrian$4,000Roof blown off of a carport.
June 1971Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 2025Thunderstorm WindVega$2,000A large tree was blown down in the front yard of a residence. Multiple trees were blown down in the area.
August 2008HailAdrian$2,000The large hail broke out two windows of a home. The hail also shredded leaves off of trees and covered the ground at least an inch deep. No injuries were reported.
August 2008HailVega$2,000A truck driver reported that the windshield of his rig was broken from the large hail and the damage occurred near mile marker thirty-five on Interstate 40. No injuries were reported.
August 2008HailAdrian$1,000A porch swing covering was reported to be ripped up and all foliage on vegetation was stripped. No injuries were reported.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindAdrian$250A trained spotter reported that the thunderstorm wind gusts blew a six inch tree limb down. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities.
May 1979Tornado (F0)not stated$30no account filed
July 1958Tornado (F0)not stated$30no account filed
June 2025Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-The first severe wind gust of 59mph occurred at 2010 CDT, with another 58mph wind gust measured at 2012 CDT and the last 59mph wind gust at 2014 CDT.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindAdrian-Severe wind gusts started at 2017CDT and continued through 2037CDT with peak wind gust of 64mph occurring at 2031CDT.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindAdrian-An outflow boundary moved through the mesonet site located six miles west-southwest of Adrian and produced a wind gust of 58mph.
September 2024Thunderstorm WindAdrian-Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater were measured for 5 minutes beginning at 1827CDT.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindAdrian-The strongest wind gust measured was 79mph and occurred at 817pm CDT. There were multiple gusts of 60mph or greater that occurred for nearly ten minutes.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindVega-Severe wind gusts occurred for three minutes with the strongest being 65mph at 821pm CDT.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindVega-From the station located near Vega, TX.
May 2021Tornado (EFU)Boys Ranch-The tornado touched down in very rural portions of Oldham county|and remained in open prairie grassland with no structures or|trees hit and no damage reported. The entire life cycle of the|tornado was documented by a local storm spotter.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindAdrian-Multiple gusts in excess of 58 mph were measured by a mesonet. Maximum wind gust of 69 mph occurred at 1928 CDT.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindAdrian-Thunderstorm collapsed right on top of the mesonet.
June 2020HailVega-Very large hail fell up to 3.25 inches in diameter 3 miles east-southeast of Vega.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBoys Ranch-This gust was measured at the West Texas Mesonet station 1 mile west-southwest of Boys Ranch.
June 2020HailVega-Half dollar size hail fell in Vega.
June 2020HailVega-Golf ball size hail fell 4 miles east-southeast of Vega. The time of occurrence has been estimated from radar data.
June 2020HailVega-Tennis ball size hail fell 2 miles east of Vega.
June 2020HailVega-Hen egg size hail fell 5 miles west of Wildorado.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindAdrian-This gust was measured at the West Texas Mesonet station 11 miles south-southwest of Romero.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindAdrian-A 64 mph gust was measured at the West Texas Mesonet station 11 miles south-southwest of Romero. No damage was reported.
June 2019FloodVega-Nuisance street flooding occurred in and around Vega.
July 2019HailVega-A spotter network report was received for quarter sized hail approximately 10 miles south of Boys Ranch along US Highway 385. There were also a few hailstones larger than 1.00 inch in diameter.
April 2019HailVega-Late report of ping pong ball size hail on Highway 385 north of Vega.
May 2019HailBoys Ranch-Hail up to the size of quarters (1) reported at Boys Ranch.
May 2019HailBoys Ranch-Late report of quarter size hailstones.
March 2019Tornado (EFU)Vega-No damage observed. Track and times estimated based on three separate videos and pictures.
October 2019FloodBoys Ranch-Water was reported to be over the road on FM 1061.
May 2019Tornado (EF0)Adrian-Brief touchdown on a cattle ranch in NW Oldham County launched a feeder the size of a pickup truck over 300 yards. Otherwise, the tornado remained in open country consisting of mainly grasslands.
May 2019HailVega-Late report of ping pong ball hail on I-40.
May 2019HailVega-Golf ball size hail reported west of Vega on I-40.

Mines and quarries

4 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 4 workings inside this county. 3 still produce and 1 is closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction4

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Judd Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Mansfield Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Tascosa PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Vega Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

18

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Oldham County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.