Wheeler

Formed August 21, 1876 (223^rd county)

Wheeler County (4,987), Wheeler (1,489), Shamrock (1,793)

White columns at the entrance enhance the red brick Classical Revival structure, built in 1925.  It is on the square at the intersection of Main and Texas streets.  United States Highway 83 passes one block to the east of the site.  E. H. Eads provided the courthouse designs.  Mobeetie was the original county seat until 1906 when Wheeler assumed the role.  Two courthouses were built in Mobeetie (1880 and 1888.)  The 1888 courthouse was moved to Wheeler in 1908 and served until the 1925 version was built.  Wheeler County was cut from Bexar County on August 21, 1876 as the 223^rd county.  The county and county seat were named for Texas lawyer and judge Royal T. Wheeler. 

Wheeler County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Wheeler, Gray, Hemphill, Lipscomb, and Roberts counties and One County Court Judge serves Wheeler County.  The county is in the panhandle east of Amarillo, Texas.  Oklahoma is the eastern border of the county.  Two forks of the Red River cross this county.  The county center is 8 miles Southwest of Wheeler.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hemphill County and Oklahoma and Collingsworth, Donley, Gray, and Roberts counties. 

The area of the county is 914 square miles.  It is 122 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 203 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.5 persons per square mile making it 197 out of 254 in the state.  Wheeler County has 67.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 enters from the east, Oklahoma, and exits to the west, Gray County.  United States Highway 83 crosses north to south Hemphill County to Collingsworth County.  Another square shaped county has Wheeler located a little north of center.  Shamrock is near the southern border of the county.  Wheeler is the county seat and Shamrock is the largest city.  Wheeler is 29.9% of the county population while Shamrock is 36.0% of the county population.