Region: Panhandle Plains
Seat of Dickens County. The county was created in 1876 from Young and Bexar
territories. The city was founded in 1891 and incorporated in 1934. It is eight
miles below the escarpment of the caprock (high plains). First settlements grew
from dugout line camps used by cowboys of famous Spur, Pitchfork and Matador
ranches. Dickens began as an early pioneer settlement, growing as a rich cotton
and cattle producing region. Today, it serves as a retail center for a large
ranching and farming area. Hunters know it as the "Unofficial Wild Boar Capital
of Texas."
Nearby Croton Breaks region, east of city on U.S. 82, is a scenic area of
colorful canyons, buttes and small creeks. Inquire locally for directions.
The Dickens County Courthouse features several outside memorials. A memorial
walk contains bricks engraved with the names of early county residents and their
families. Courthouse open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.