Wellington

History

Sometime in 1889 or 1890, as smaller ranches and farmlands were being purchased, Ernest Theodore O'Neil, his brother-in-law John Simon McConnell, and John W. Swearingen, together had purchased the land where the town currently sits, for $5.00 per acre. Subsequently, O'Neil, who originally owned a fourth of the section of the township, purchased the interests of McConnell and Swearingen and retained sole ownership of the land. The 1890 census showed 357 inhabitants across the county, with 89 ranches and farms and of land in cultivation. In August 1890, a petition was circulated to organize the county, choose a county seat, and elect county officers. Two potential townships were proposed: Wellington and Pearl. The proposed town of Wellington was located on the land owned by Ernest T. O'Neil, who was promoting this location and had been given its proposed name by his wife, Matilda Anna Elisabeth "Lizzie" O'Neil, who greatly admired the Duke of Wellington, hero of the Battle of Waterloo. The alternate and proposed town of Pearl was located several miles north of Wellington. In September 1890, the vote was held and Wellington was selected for the seat of the newly organized county of Collingsworth. In 1891, the new city, laid out by Ernest T. O'Neil, was surveyed and platted, and the first postal service and postmaster, Carrie M. Barton, was established on January 9, 1891. Construction of a courthouse began in 1893, and contractor J. A. White built the courthouse of locally made bricks. With the extra materials left over from the courthouse, J. A. White erected a mercantile store for Ernest T. O'Neil. This became the first mercantile store and commercial building in Wellington, prior to the opening of a two-story hotel by O'Neil. Later O'Neil organized the first bank,…

Geography

Wellington is located in southern Collingsworth County. U.S. Route 83 runs along the eastern edge of the city, leading north to Shamrock and Interstate 40, and south to Childress. Texas State Highway 203 leads east to the Oklahoma border and west to Quail. According to the United States Census Bureau, Wellington has a total area of , all land. According to the Köppen climate classification, Wellington has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  97
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  80
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  68
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  66
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  53
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

  Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  50
• American Kestrel

  Falco sparverius Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  46

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2022-01-16
  8 km NW of Wheeler, Texas
• M 3.5 — 2021-08-09
  4 km N of Wheeler, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2021-08-08
  3 km N of Wheeler, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2019-01-13
  3 km NE of Wheeler, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2014-12-29
  16 km E of Memphis, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2013-04-26
  3 km SE of Wheeler, Texas