The county was named for Erastus “Deaf” Smith, who came to Mexican Texas in 1821 and served as a scout and spy during the Texas Revolution, including service at the Battle of San Jacinto. Hereford was founded in 1899 when the Pecos and North Texas Railway was completed from Amarillo to Farwell. The town was named for the superior breed of imported English cattle that came to dominate West Texas ranching and stock farming in the 1880s. Despite its initial dependence on cattle ranching, Hereford prospered as an agricultural entrepôt, as demonstrated by its monumental block of grain elevators beside the railroad tracks at S. Main Street. The Santa Fe Railway station (c. 1910) in the 100 block of E. 1st Street reinforces the connection between railroad service and agriculture.
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