How Val Verde County Got Its Name and Was Formed

The Texas Legislature created Val Verde County in 1885. It was carved out of Crockett, Kinney, and Pecos counties. Del Rio became the county seat that same year. The name Val Verde is Spanish for 'green valley.' It comes from the 1862 Civil War Battle of Val Verde, which was fought in New Mexico.

The county covers about 3,150 square miles. Most of the land is limestone plateau cut by canyons and river valleys. People have lived here for a very long time. Indigenous people used rock shelters near present-day Comstock as far back as 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. In the mid-1800s, military posts like Camp Hudson (1857) helped protect settlers along the Military Road. Sheep and goat ranching became the main way people made a living here.