Sheffield (Texas)

Sheffield is a village in Pecos County in the U.S. state of Texas.

Geography

Sheffield is located in west-central Texas 26 km south-east of Iraan and 96 kilometers east of Fort Stockton at the intersection of U.S. Highways 290, the State Highway 349 and Farm Road 1217 on the east end of the Pecos counties. The village is 660 meters above sea level.

History

The area was first explored in 1590 by the Spaniards. Although there were in the following two centuries several Spanish expeditions into this area, there was no formation of a fixed settlement. The American army arrived in the area of the later Sheffield for the first time in 1849, as a road from San Antonio to El Paso was planned.

A settlement of the area did not begin until 1888 when the Cannon Ranch was founded along the Pecos River. 1898 was a coaching inn, whose first director was Will Sheffield, after whom the place was named later. In 1900 was on the land that belonged to Will Sheffield, close to the Cannon Ranch created a small place that became the local shopping center for the surrounding ranches.

With the discovery of oil deposits of the Yates oil field in the Trans - Pecos region in 1926 changed the economic structure of the village. By connecting Sheffield to the U.S. Highway 290, the place became a stopover on the way to the oil fields in Iraan. The population grew from 124 in 1925 to 350 in 1949. 1971 Ergasfeld was opened near Sheffield. In 2000 the city counted 600 residents.