Langtry is an unincorporated community in Val Verde County, Texas, United States. The community is notable as the place where Judge Roy Bean, the "Law West of the Pecos", had his saloon and practiced law.

History

Langtry was originally established in 1882 by the Southern Pacific Railroad as a grading camp called Eagle Nest. It was later renamed for George Langtry, an engineer and foreman, who supervised the immigrant Chinese work crews building the railroad in the area. Roy Bean arrived soon after completion of the railroad, and set up a tent saloon on company land. He later built a wooden structure for his saloon, which he called The Jersey Lilly after the well-known British actress Lillie Langtry. She was a native of the island of Jersey. (Née Le Breton, Langtry was her married name, and she was not related to George Langtry.) Bean used the saloon as his headquarters when authorized as a justice of the peace and notary public. He called himself the "Law West of the Pecos". After a notable career as justice of the peace, Bean died in 1903. In 1884, the town was authorized a post office. In 1892, it had a general store, a railroad depot, and two saloons. Langtry began to decline after the highway was moved slightly north in the early 1900s for a more direct east-west route. Once bypassed, the town's businesses lost revenue and jobs. In the 1920s, Southern Pacific moved its facilities away, more jobs were lost, and the town population dwindled to 50. By the 1970s, its population dipped as low as 40. Tourism to the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center continues to keep the town alive.

Transportation

Langtry is located along US 90. There are no transportation services that directly serve Langtry. The nearest transportation option is served by Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, which passes through the town on Union Pacific tracks on the Sanderson Subdivision, but makes no stop. A stop is located 60 miles (96 km) northwest in Sanderson, or 60 miles (96 km) southeast in Del Rio.

Education

It was formerly in the Langtry Common School District, but sometime prior to 1976 the Langtry district merged into the Comstock Independent School District. In 1964 Langtry's student count exceeded 60. The whole county is served by Southwest Texas Junior College according to the Texas Education Code.

Archeology

Found on Mile Canyon right near Langtry is Bonfire Shelter, an archeological site that has yielded bones from butchered animals, including bison, driven to their deaths over the cliff by Native Americans thousands of years ago.

Popular culture

Climate

Langtry has a hot semiarid (BSh) climate.

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