Gail, Texas

Gail is an unincorporated town in Borden County, Texas, United States. Located on U.S. Highway 180, it is the county seat of Borden County.GR|6 The town and county are named for Gail Borden, Jr., of Houston, the inventor of condensed milk.

History

Founded in 1891 to coincide with the organization of Borden County, Gail has served as county seat for the duration of its existence. Borden County had remained quite sparsely populated until 1903, when the locally famed "War of Ribbons", inspired by a state sanctioned land grab, took place. The conflict took its name from the practice of established ranchers displaying their affiliation and identity by way of a blue ribbon on their sleeves, whereas new settlers to the area designated theirs with a similarly placed red ribbon. By 1910 Gail was home to more than 700 residents, and though this would fall to 600 by 1912 the community remained the economic and governmental hub of Borden County.

Changes in agricultural practices and patterns coupled with the Great Depression brought any prosperity the town and county might have had to an abrupt halt, however, and by 1936 Gail's population had dwindled to 250 residents. By 1980 this had fallen to around 190, a figure Gail has maintained fairly consistently since.

Education

Gail is served by the Borden County Independent School District.

References

* [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/GG/hlg1.html Handbook of Texas Online entry for Gail]