The Reeves County Courthouse was built in 1938 and offers a mix of Classical Revival and Mediterranean elements.
Organized in 1884, the county honors Confederate Col. and Texas Speaker George R. Reeves. Pecos was named the county capital when Reeves County was separated from Pecos County in 1883.
The county seat sits on the Pecos River on the high prairie at the northern border of the Chihuahuan Desert. Pecos is located approximately 208 miles east of El Paso and 392 miles west of Fort Worth on I-20, about 168 miles north of Big Bend National Park, and 85 miles south of Carlsbad Caverns.
Development of the area began with the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century and continued on through Indian migration, cavalry exploration, pioneer westward movement, and the era of cattle trails.
In 1881, the future of Pecos was secured with the arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railroad, which helped develop the city as a commercial and agricultural center on the Fort Worth to El Paso route. Ranching was soon complemented by a significant farming interest, thanks to the advent of modern irrigation methods.
Pecos is known as The Home of the World’s First Rodeo. The history of the State Sport is chronicled in The West of the Pecos Museum, complete with three full floors with more than 50 rooms of exhibits. The museum’s Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame includes information about Texas’ most prominent rodeo participants.
The first rodeo took place July 4, 1883, and is described at https://pecosrodeo.com/: “Excitement filled the dusty air and braggin’ rights were on the line to find out who was the best cowhand in the West…Today, the annual West of the Pecos Rodeo is one of the PRCA’s top 40 prize-money rodeos and is known as the oldest event in the sport, showcasing the best cowboys and bringing together a tightly knit community for a fun-filled week of Wild West festivities.” The next rodeo is set for June 24-27, 2026.
Reeves County is also known as the home of the renowned Balmorhea State Park, which sits on some 46 acres in the foothills of the Davis Mountains southwest of Balmorhea. The park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s. San Solomon Springs feeds the park’s main attraction, a 77,053-square-foot artesian spring pool. The pool is 25 feet deep and boasts a constant temperature of 72 to 76 degrees. According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, this “cool oasis in the high desert” is the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool.
Finally, in June 2024, Reeves County became the sixth county in Texas to dedicate a commemorative plaque featuring the legendary letter written by William B. Travis at the Alamo, widely known as “The Alamo Letter” and revered as the most famous letter in Texas history, https://alamoletter.com/.