Gail, Texas

History

Founded in 1891 to coincide with the organization of Borden County, Gail has served as county seat for the duration of its existence. Borden County had remained quite sparsely populated until 1903, when the locally famed "War of Ribbons", inspired by a state-sanctioned land grab, took place. The conflict took its name from the practice of established ranchers displaying their affiliation and identity by way of a blue ribbon on their sleeves, whereas new settlers to the area designated theirs with a similarly placed red ribbon. By 1910, Gail was home to more than 700 residents, and though this would decline to 600 by 1912, the community remained the economic and administrative hub of Borden County. Changes in agricultural practices and patterns, coupled with the impact of the Great Depression, hindered the town and county's prosperity. By 1936, Gail's population had dwindled to 250 residents, and by 1980, it had fallen to approximately 190. The census of 2010 counted 231 residents in Gail.

The Borden County Jail opened in 1896. Built at a cost of $4,500 by the Diebold Safe and Lock Company, it had 2 ft outside walls made of stone from Gail Mountain, and 0.3 ft hardened steel plates in the cell walls and floor. In 1956, two prisoners objected to Sheriff Sid Reeder's attempt to place them into one of the jail's cells when they noticed a rattlesnake sleeping inside. A historic marker was placed outside the jail in 1967.

John R. "Rich" Anderson, owner of the 64000 acre Muleshoe Ranch near Gail, won the 1992 National Cattleman's Association Environmental Stewardship Award. His achievement was also recognized by the Texas House of Representatives.

Geography

Gail is located near the center of Borden County. U.S. Route 180 passes through the town, leading east 31 mi to Snyder and west 31 miles to Lamesa. Big Spring along FM 669 is 40 mi to the south, and Lubbock is 72 mi to the north.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gail has an area of 5.2 sqkm, of which 0.02 sqkm, or 0.38%, is covered by water.

Climate

This climate type occurs primarily on the periphery of the true deserts in low-latitude semiarid steppe regions. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is BSk (tropical and subtropical steppe climate).

|Jan record high F = 87 |Feb record high F = 92 |Mar record high F = 98 |Apr record high F = 104 |May record high F = 111 |Jun record high F = 116 |Jul record high F = 113 |Aug record high F = 112 |Sep record high F = 106 |Oct record high F = 103 |Nov record high F = 91 |Dec record high F = 85

|Jan avg record high F = 78.1 |Feb avg record high F = 82.0 |Mar avg record high F = 88.5 |Apr avg record high F = 93.9 |May avg record high F = 99.9 |Jun avg record high F = 102.7 |Jul avg record high F = 102.5 |Aug avg record high F = 101.7 |Sep avg record high F = 97.3 |Oct avg record high F = 92.4 |Nov avg record high F = 82.9 |Dec avg record high F = 76.8 |year avg record high F = 105.7

|Jan avg record low F = 16.4 |Feb avg record low F = 19.4 |Mar avg record low F = 24.8 |Apr avg record low F = 33.8 |May avg record low F = 44.1 |Jun avg record low F = 58.3 |Jul avg record low F = 63.2 |Aug avg record low F = 62.7 |Sep avg record low F = 49.1 |Oct avg record low F = 35.0 |Nov avg record low F = 24.4 |Dec avg record low F = 17.3 |year avg record low F = 12.1

|Jan record low F = 2 |Feb record low F = 0 |Mar record low F = 9 |Apr record low F = 24 |May record low F = 33 |Jun record low F = 45 |Jul record low F = 57 |Aug record low F = 52 |Sep record low F = 36 |Oct record low F = 20 |Nov record low F = 8 |Dec record low F = -1

|access-date = May 3, 2023 |access-date = May 3, 2023

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Gail first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 249 people, 38 households, and 24 families residing in the CDP.

Education

Gail is served by the Borden County Independent School District, and is home to the Borden County High School Coyotes. The school's Coyote Stadium is a six-man football venue and can seat 350.

Places of interest

• Borden County Courthouse - a 1939 one-story brick building with cast concrete detail
• Borden County Historical Museum

Gallery

Image:Borden County Museum in Gail, TX IMG_1792.JPG|The Borden County Museum is located across from the post office, behind the county courthouse. Image:Bi-Centennial Park, Gail, TX IMG 1794.JPG|Entrance to Bicentennial Park, located across from the Borden County School Image:U.S. Post Office, Gail, TX IMG_1805.JPG|Post office Image:Former Caprock Cafe, Gail, TX IMG_1789.JPG|Caprock Cafe lies deserted across from the Borden County Courthouse.

Notable person

• Clinton D. "Casey" Vincent, flying ace, second youngest general in U.S. Air Force history

Trivia

Gail, Texas, is also the name given to a Census Designated Place which includes the town proper. The town is additionally the locus of the United States Postal Service's Zip Code of 79738.

References

References

1. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Gail CDP, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
3. Tai Kreidler, executive director, [[West Texas Historical Association]], "The Twentieth Annual Lighting of the Star on Gail Mountain", November 11, 2013
4. Hunt, William R.. "GAIL, TX". Texas State Historical Association.
5. (January 2017). ["Borden County Jail"](http://www.allacrosstexas.com/uncovered-texas-atlas.php?city=&type=historical%20marker&an=5033000457#.Ugwa3j-Wy5c }}{{dead link). AllAcrossTexas.com.
6. (Oct 14, 1956). "Rattler Killed in Texas Jail". [[St. Joseph News-Press]].
7. Sasser, Ray. (Feb 21, 1993). "Texas Cattleman's Land Management has Wide-Ranging Effect". Dallas News.
8. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=114314&cityname=Gail%2C+Texas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Gail, Texas]
9. "Decennial Census by Decade". [[US Census Bureau]].
10. "1900 Census of Population - Population of Texas By Counties And Minor Civil Divisions".
11. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for Texas".
12. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
13. "1930 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
14. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
15. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
16. "1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
17. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
18. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas".
19. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
20. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
21. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas".
22. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Gail CDP, Texas".
23. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Gail CDP, Texas".