Sheffield, Texas
Census-designated place in the United States in Pecos County · Not an incorporated municipality
About Sheffield
Sheffield is a census-designated place in Pecos County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the community had a population of 174. Named for pioneer rancher Will Sheffield, it has a post office with ZIP code of 79781.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Sheffield is governed
Sheffield appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Pecos County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Sheffield does have local officials.
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Sheffield
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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History
The first documented Europeans to visit the area were Spanish explorer Gaspar Castaño de Sosa and his men, who traveled up the Pecos River in 1590. Although several Spanish-led expeditions followed, no permanent settlements were established in the area. In 1849, the Army surveyed the road from San Antonio to El Paso, and the route included what is now Sheffield because of the Pecos Spring and the Pecos Crossing or Lancaster Crossing, named for the nearby Fort Lancaster.
An early pioneer in the area, William Franklin Smith, herded sheep from the Sherwood area of Irion County to the Pecos River and camped at Pecos in the spring of 1886. Smith made several trips to Pecos County and eventually relocated permanently to Sheffield in 1912. The first settler was John Cannon, who arrived in 1888 and purchased a tract along the Pecos River. A post office was established in 1898, with Will Sheffield as its first postmaster. Around 1900, a small settlement sprang up on land adjoining the Cannon ranch owned by Mr. Sheffield, and the town became known as Sheffield. Most other settlers were ranchers who established their own homesteads. However, a few of the early pioneers were later reputed to be outlaws seeking refuge far from the reach of the law. Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum, later a notorious outlaw wanted in several states, was among these, spending time in the area in the 1890s.
The town prospered in the early 1900s as a supply point and social center for surrounding ranchers. Discovery of oil in the Trans-Pecos region during the 1920s, and natural gas later, radically altered the local economy. Sheffield grew slowly, from an estimated 124 inhabitants in 1925 to 350 by 1949. Although the community was bypassed by Interstate 10, Sheffield continued to support several stores and businesses throughout the latter half of the 20th century. In 2000, Sheffield was home to an estimated 600 inhabitants and 15 businesses.
Local resident Herbert A. Holmes (1900-1973) came to Sheffield with his family in 1906, and later served many years as a Pecos County justice of the peace. He collected facts, recollections, and photographs about the small community, and with his son J. Wayne Holmes, published these in 1973 as Frontier Days in Sheffield.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.