Stamford, Texas

Stamford is a city located on the border of Jones and Haskell counties in west central Texas. The population was 3,124 according to the 2010 census. Henry McHarg, president of the Texas Central Railroad, named the site in 1900 for his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. The city is home to the Texas Cowboy Reunion.Stamford is located on US Highway 277 and State Highway 6. Most of the city is in Jones County, one of 46 dry counties in Texas. The portion of the city within Jones County is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.HistoryWhile the town was named by Henry King McHarg for Stamford, Connecticut, the townsite was donated by the family of Swante Magnus Swenson. Mr. Swenson was the first Swedish immigrant to Texas. He became one of the largest landowners in Texas, and by 1860 his holdings in West Texas approached 500000acre. These ranches, which spread across twelve Texas counties, became known as SMS Ranches. Later reorganized as the Swenson Land and Cattle Company, it is headquartered in Stamford to this day. Mr. Swenson had two sons, Eric Pierson and Swen Albin, who became known as the Swenson brothers. They ran SMS Ranches, and even developed a Morab horse breeding program near the city.