Childress Texas - History

Childress, Texas was established in 1876, created out of the Bexar-Young Districts. The county was officially organized April 11, 1887 and was given the name "Childress County", named for an attorney, George C. Childress, who authored the Texas Declaration of Independence.

In 1887, the county boasted a population of 300 people, and consisted of two communities, Childress and Henry, located four miles apart. Both bid for the county seat.  An election was held but questions concerning the legality of the voting procedures caused the election to be nullified.  Before a second election was held, a compromise was made whereby Childress citizens would move to Henry, the name Henry would be dropped, and the town would be named Childress City, the county seat of government.

Frank Collinson - A Biographical Sketch

In the late 1800's many different types of people came to the Texas Panhandle. Many of these people were buffalo hunters. One of these such men was Frank Collinson. This large man with a cocked hat promised to leave a legend never to be forgotten, and did just that.

Frank Collinson was born in Yorkshire, England in 1855. He came to America to be a cowboy of a South Texas Ranch in September 1872. He wanted to live where there was adventure and the "winds blew free".

Collinson was a tall, heavy set man with a long white mustache that was fifteen inches from tip to tip. He was known around the Texas Panhandle for his unforgettable flowing white mustache. He wore a very large, tall, black hat at a cocked angle. Even though he had chosen this very difficult career, Frank Collinson was a very educated man.

As told by Jim White, Collinson's partner, Frank Started hunting in the fall of 1874 at Fort Griffin, Texas. Just before he signed on with Jim White, he bought a warm bed roll, a nice fifteen pound 45-90 caliber Sharps rifle, shells, and a reloading outfit. The plains of the Panhandle, free from Mesquites in the 1800's, were very promising to Collinson and White. Despite the requests, the United States Government had promised the Indians not to hunt the buffalo in Colorado or Kansas. They worked for $3.75 a hide. At this small rate of pay they were forced to do much hunting. These two men were well known for their ability to kill buffalo.

They practiced an experienced method of hunting that most professionals used. The hunter would stake his horse and crawl close to the herd. The hunter would shoot and kill the leader of the buffalo herd. With the leader dead, the rest of the herd would huddle around the leader while the hunter shot as many as he could. This method of hunting allowed Collinson to kill 121 buffalo in one single stand just north of where Childress is now located; a record never to be broken on the plains of Texas. This record was only beaten one time in the entire United States.

Frank Collinson and many others quickly reduced the number of buffalo in the Texas Panhandle. According to a government report, in 1878 there were only 1,000 of the 10 million buffalo left south of the Canadian river.

In 1943 Frank Collinson died at the age of 87. No matter how people look at this, this was a job, and Frank Collinson was good at his job. After coming from England in 1872, Collinson enjoyed a long exciting life in America. His final resting place was found in Clarendon, Texas.

This piece of history had a major impact on the settling of the Texas Panhandle. Many people roamed this land and performed many great deeds. Frank Collinson was just one of the many dedicated men.