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Yoakum County, Texas

17 topographic sheets cover 6 settlements here.

Research this county

Texas within the United States
Yoakum County within Texas

What the record shows

  • 39 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 6 populated places in this county; 6 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

The county from the air

44 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 1,730 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 44 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, 1954-02-05, scale 1:63000
1954-02-05, scale 1:63000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-02-05, scale 1:63000
1954-02-05, scale 1:63000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-02-05, scale 1:63000
1954-02-05, scale 1:63000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-02-05, scale 1:63000
1954-02-05, scale 1:63000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-08-30, scale 1:130000
1956-08-30, scale 1:130000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-08-30, scale 1:130000
1956-08-30, scale 1:130000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-08-30, scale 1:130000
1956-08-30, scale 1:130000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-08-30, scale 1:130000
1956-08-30, scale 1:130000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-04-25, scale 1:18000
1962-04-25, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-04-25, scale 1:18000
1962-04-25, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-04-25, scale 1:18000
1962-04-25, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-04-25, scale 1:18000
1962-04-25, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-02-14, scale 1:24800
1967-02-14, scale 1:24800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-02-14, scale 1:24800
1967-02-14, scale 1:24800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-02-14, scale 1:24800
1967-02-14, scale 1:24800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-02-14, scale 1:24800
1967-02-14, scale 1:24800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-08, scale 1:29200
1968-02-08, scale 1:29200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-08, scale 1:29200
1968-02-08, scale 1:29200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-08, scale 1:29200
1968-02-08, scale 1:29200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-08, scale 1:29200
1968-02-08, scale 1:29200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-01-18, scale 1:11600
1969-01-18, scale 1:11600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-01-18, scale 1:11600
1969-01-18, scale 1:11600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-01-18, scale 1:11600
1969-01-18, scale 1:11600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-01-18, scale 1:11600
1969-01-18, scale 1:11600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-19, scale 1:25200
1970-04-19, scale 1:25200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-19, scale 1:25200
1970-04-19, scale 1:25200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-19, scale 1:25200
1970-04-19, scale 1:25200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-04-19, scale 1:25200
1970-04-19, scale 1:25200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-07-09, scale 1:109926
1971-07-09, scale 1:109926. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-07-09, scale 1:109926
1971-07-09, scale 1:109926. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-07-09, scale 1:109926
1971-07-09, scale 1:109926. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-07-09, scale 1:108792
1971-07-09, scale 1:108792. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-04-15, scale 1:113471
1972-04-15, scale 1:113471. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-04-15, scale 1:113471
1972-04-15, scale 1:113471. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-04-15, scale 1:114917
1972-04-15, scale 1:114917. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-04-15, scale 1:114917
1972-04-15, scale 1:114917. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-08-23, scale 1:60605
1973-08-23, scale 1:60605. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-08-23, scale 1:60317
1973-08-23, scale 1:60317. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-08-23, scale 1:60317
1973-08-23, scale 1:60317. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-08-23, scale 1:62688
1973-08-23, scale 1:62688. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-11-17, scale 1:56349
1978-11-17, scale 1:56349. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-11-17, scale 1:56349
1978-11-17, scale 1:56349. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-11-17, scale 1:56349
1978-11-17, scale 1:56349. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-11-17, scale 1:56349
1978-11-17, scale 1:56349. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

3 stations

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

The 1950 census, district by district

8 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.

  • 251-1Justice Precinct 1
  • 251-2Justice Precinct 2: Denver City town: Denver City town - That part Bounded by Town limits; Town limits; Chemical Process; Town limits
  • 251-3Justice Precinct 2: Denver City town - That part Bounded by Chemical Process; Town limits; Broadway; Town limits
  • 251-4Justice Precinct 2: Denver City town - That part Bounded by Broadway; Town limits; Harris; Town limits
  • 251-5Justice Precinct 2: Denver City town - That part Bounded by Harris, Town limits; Town limits; Town limits; Town limits
  • 251-6Justice Precinct 2 - That part outside Denver City town
  • 251-7Justice Precinct 3
  • 251-8Justice Precinct 4

Wildfire, 2006 to 2020

31 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 31 of them, burning about 7,134 acres. 3 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/undetermined18
Equipment and vehicle use5
Natural3
Smoking3
Debris and open burning1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
2 April 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,000 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceOWENS SOUTH FIRE
1 January 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,000 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
29 April 2011Power generation/transmission/distribution900 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS FIRE (MUTUAL AID)
4 April 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined805 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceEAST PLAINS COMPLEX FIRE
1 January 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined500 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
11 August 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined500 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceYOAKUM CO.
5 April 2006Equipment and vehicle use400 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
18 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined300 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceYOAKUM CO. MUTUAL AID

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

Storms, 1957 to 2025

60 of 238 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 238 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 1 injury and about $4,917,530 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail125
Thunderstorm Wind71
Tornado26
Flash Flood11
Flood4
Lightning1

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
June 1996HailDenver City1 hurt, $2,500,000no account filed
June 1996HailDenver City$500,000no account filed
June 2008HailPlains$250,000The Yoakum County Sheriff's Office reported that baseball size hail smashed out many automobile windshields and punctured holes in the roofs of several mobile homes. Two Sheriff's Office cruisers sustained significant damage. Area gins and cotton farmers reported that more than 25,000 acres of cotton were destroyed east of Plains. No injuries were reported.
October 2002HailPlains$250,000Wind-driven tennis ball size hail produced significant damage to at least 54 homes and a number of automobiles. At least 2000 acres of cotton were destroyed.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindDenver City$250,000no account filed
June 2007Thunderstorm WindPlains$200,000A swath of extreme winds accompanied a bowing line-shaped convective complex as it moved southward over portions of Yoakum and Terry Counties during the late evening hours of the 26th. Severe winds initiated over central Yoakum County as measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Plains where a 62 mph gust was recorded at 20:45 CST. A cattle feed lot located on the New Mexico and Texas state line in western Yoakum County measured a peak gust of 81 mph according to newspaper accounts.||Damage to utility poles, lines, and trees was widespread. Numerous power poles were snapped along Farm to Market Road 213. Some minor crop damage occurred due to sandblasting. No significant structural damage was reported.||Law enforcement officials reported damage in and near Denver City when the winds spread south across southern Yoakum County. Winds estimated up to 70 mph reportedly occurred in the city between 21:10 and 21:15 CST. A number of power poles were snapped by the winds.
April 2000HailDenver City$150,000Golfball size hail broke many windows, damaged many cars, and damaged the roofs of numerous homes.
October 2002HailDenver City$100,000Wind-driven large hail damaged numerous homes and automobiles.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindDenver City$100,000Strong wind removed portions of the roof of the Denver City post office and damaged the community center.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindPlains$75,000Newspaper articles reported damaging thunderstorm winds up to 70 miles per hour across northern Yoakum County. The worst damage was reported near Farm to Market Road 1780 where a number of irrigation systems and utility poles were damaged.
October 2002Thunderstorm WindDenver City$75,000Strong thunderstorm wind estimated at 80 mph blew over and destroyed a center pivot irrigation system, destroyed an unoccupied mobile home and a travel trailer, damaged a garage, and blew down a number of trees and power poles.
June 1996HailDenver City$50,000no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindDenver City$50,000no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindDenver City$50,000no account filed
December 1993Thunderstorm WindDenver City$50,000no account filed
April 2004Flash FloodDenver City$30,000Slow-moving thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall across the southern portion of the county. Several roads in and around Denver City were flooded and several cars were stranded in the high water.
March 2007Thunderstorm WindDenver City$25,000A local newspaper reported that an irrigation system was destroyed by severe thunderstorm winds along Texas Highway 83 west of Denver City. The damaging winds also were accompanied by hail.
October 2002HailAllred$25,000Large hail damaged mobile homes and cars.
August 1968Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
August 1968Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1957Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 2007FloodDenver City$20,000|Low-lying areas across Denver City were flooded, with water more than curb-deep in most city streets. A vehicle was stalled in high water during the late morning hours. No injuries were reported.
August 2001LightningDenver City$16,000Lightning struck a storage tank and caused a fire that engulfed two such tanks.
April 2009Thunderstorm WindDenver City$15,000Local law enforcement officials reported that utility lines were blown down along Texas Highway 83 west of Denver City. The damage occurred near the path of a Doppler radar indicated mesocyclone, but the occurrence of a tornado could not be confirmed.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindPlains$10,000The Texas Tech Mesonet station north of town measured a 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust. The strong wind destroyed a barn.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindDenver City$10,000Strong wind blew down trees, signs and a large shed.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindPlains$10,000no account filed
March 1993Thunderstorm WindDenver City$5,000Downburst winds downed power lines in Denver City, according to the Denver City Police Department.
May 1998HailPlains$5,000no account filed
March 2000Thunderstorm WindAllred$4,000Strong wind damaged four power poles north of town.
March 2000Thunderstorm WindDenver City$3,000Strong wind damaged three power poles north of town.
June 1999HailPlains$3,000Large hail damaged a car and broke the windshield.
March 1973Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 1969Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
October 2002Thunderstorm WindDenver City$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down numerous trees and snapped power poles.
October 2002Thunderstorm WindDenver City$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power poles and trees west of town.
October 2002Thunderstorm WindPlains$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power poles and trees.
March 1968Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
May 1957Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
April 1977Tornado (F1)not stated$30no account filed
May 2025HailDenver City Arpt-Law enforcement in Yoakum County reported ping pong ball size hail between Denver City and Plains along Texas State Highway 214.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindPlains-Law enforcement in Yoakum County reported widespread power outages in the town of Plains due to blown down power poles.
April 2025HailPlains-Local broadcast media relayed public reports of hail ranging from golf ball to ping pong ball size in Plains.
April 2025HailDenver City Arpt-A storm chaser reported two inch size hail near the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 213 and 435 southeast of Plains. No damage was reported.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindDenver City-A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Denver City measured severe wind gusts from 2030 CST through 2043 CST. A peak wind gust of 65 mph was measured at 2030 CST. Additionally, the Automated Weather Observing Station at Denver City Municipal Airport measured a wind gust of 58 mph at 2035 CST.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindPlains-A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured severe wind gusts from 2003 CST through 2010 CST. A peak wind gust of 63 mph was measured at 2007 CST.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindPlains-A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a severe wind gust of 59 mph.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindPlains-A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured a wind gust of 61 mph.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindDenver City-An Automated Weather Observing System at the Denver City Airport measured a wind gust of 60 mph.
May 2024HailDenver City Arpt-Law enforcement and storm chasers reported golf ball size hail in the town of Denver City.
May 2024HailDenver City-An off-duty NWS employee and numerous storm chasers reported a swath of hail from southwest of Denver City to approximately four miles north of Denver City. Hail ranged in sizes from golf balls to 3.50 inches in diameter. No damage was reported.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindPlains-A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Plains measured severe wind gusts from 1535 CST through 1537 CST. A peak wind gust of 68 mph was measured at 1535 CST.
May 2023HailPlains-Law enforcement in Plains reported large quantities of accumulating hail up to the size of quarters.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindDenver City-A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Denver City measured a wind gust of 59 mph.
May 2023HailPlains-Law enforcement reported quarter size hail in the city of Plains.
May 2023Tornado (EFU)Plains Yoakum Co Arp-A supercell thunderstorm that had a history of producing tornadoes in eastern New Mexico developed a brief tornado northwest of Plains. The short lived tornado occurred over open land and inflicted no known damage.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindDenver City-A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Denver City measured severe wind gusts from 1748 CST through 1814 CST. A peak wind gust of 79 mph was measured at 1758 CST.
May 2023Flash FloodDenver City-A slow moving thunderstorm over southern Yoakum County created flash flooding along Texas State Highway 83 west of Denver City.
May 2022FloodDenver City-Several storms had repeatedly trained over the Denver City region causing multiple periods of heavy rainfall over a short period of time. Law enforcement in Denver City reported flooded roads in town from this heavy rainfall.
May 2022HailDenver City-Several reports were received of a swath of hail from approximately eight miles west-northwest of Denver City to the city of Denver City. The largest hail reported was baseball size. No damage was reported.

Mines and quarries

1 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It still produces. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Salt, Halite1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Vulcan Materials Salt PlantSalt, HaliteProducer

Every populated place in the county

6

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.

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.