Briscoe County is a county in Texas, United States, on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado where the caprock breaks toward the Rolling Plains. It had a population of 1,435 at the 2020 census and covers 902 square miles (2,340 km2) of land and water, centred near 34°32′N 101°13′W.
Silverton is the county seat, and its postal code is 79257. The county has two incorporated towns (Silverton and Quitaque) plus the ghost town of Gasoline and a scatter of rural place names. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Briscoe County
Briscoe County has two incorporated towns and a handful of unincorporated communities and historic place names. Texas has no civil townships, so the table below omits that column. “Unincorp.” marks a place with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silverton | Town · seat | — | 79257 |
| Quitaque | Town | — | 79255 |
| Gasoline | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | 79257 |
| Antelope Flats | Unincorp. | — | 79257 |
| Rock Creek | Unincorp. | — | 79257 |
| Whitney | Unincorp. | — | 79257 |
| Woodburn Place | Unincorp. | — | 79257 |
Quitaque straddles the Briscoe–Floyd county line, but its post office and town government are seated on the Briscoe side. Antelope Flats, Rock Creek, Whitney and Woodburn Place are historic rural place names rather than active settlements, kept here because they still appear on county maps and in local usage.
ZIP Codes
- 79257 — Silverton (also serves Gasoline, Antelope Flats, Rock Creek, Whitney and Woodburn Place)
- 79255 — Quitaque
Every address in the county falls under one of these two ZIP codes; rural routes out of Silverton and Quitaque cover the open ranch country between them.
Geography
Briscoe County sits where the caprock escarpment of the Llano Estacado drops into the Rolling Plains, giving the county a mix of flat tableland in the west and canyon country in the east. Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway occupies a large share of the northeastern county, and the North Prong of the Little Red River has been dammed to form Lake Mackenzie (Mackenzie Reservoir), completed in 1972 and shared with neighboring Swisher County. The terrain is otherwise dominated by cotton and cattle country on the plains above the canyons.
Briscoe County borders Armstrong County to the north, Donley County to the northeast, Hall County to the east, Motley County to the southeast, Floyd County to the south, and Swisher County to the west.
Demographics
The county’s population was 1,435 at the 2020 census, down from earlier decades as the county’s ranching and farming economy shed population over the 20th century. Silverton and Quitaque are the two largest communities and together account for most county residents. Median household income in Briscoe County runs below the Texas median of $75,780, consistent with its small, agriculture-dependent tax base. Population density is about 1.6 people per square mile, one of the lowest in the Texas Panhandle.
Economy & Local Life
Cotton, wheat and grain sorghum farming and cattle ranching anchor the county economy, supplemented by irrigation from the Ogallala Aquifer on the plains above the caprock. Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, home to the official Texas State Bison Herd, draws hikers, campers and hunters and supports tourism-related jobs in Quitaque, the park’s gateway town. Silverton, the county seat, hosts the county courthouse and school district offices that anchor local employment.
History
Briscoe County was created from the Bexar and Young territories in 1876 and organized as a county in 1892. It is named for Andrew Briscoe, a soldier in the Texas Revolution and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Silverton was platted as the county seat at organization. The Caprock Canyons area, long used by Comanche and other Plains peoples, later became a cattle ranching stronghold before part of it was preserved as a state park in 1982, and Lake Mackenzie was impounded in 1972 to supply water to Silverton, Tulia and Quitaque.
Getting There
State Highway 86 crosses the county east–west through Silverton, and State Highway 207 runs north–south through Quitaque, connecting to Interstate 27 to the west.
- Tulia — 25 miles west
- Turkey — 12 miles east
- Plainview — 55 miles southwest
- Amarillo — 90 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, about 90 miles north of Silverton.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Briscoe County, Texas?
It is in the Texas Panhandle, on the caprock escarpment between the Llano Estacado and the Rolling Plains, about 90 miles south of Amarillo.
What is the population of Briscoe County?
1,435 people, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Briscoe County?
902 square miles (2,340 km2), of which about 1.6 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Briscoe County?
Silverton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Briscoe County?
Two incorporated towns, Silverton and Quitaque, plus a handful of unincorporated rural communities.
What ZIP codes are in Briscoe County?
79257 (Silverton) and 79255 (Quitaque).
What is Briscoe County known for?
Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, home to the official Texas State Bison Herd, and Lake Mackenzie.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.