Langtry, Texas

Langtry is a town located in Val Verde County, Texas, United States, notable as the location of Judge Roy Bean, the "law west of the Pecos".

Related Topics:
Val Verde County, Texas - United States - Roy Bean

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In 1990 Langtry had a population of 145.

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The town was originally established in 1882 by Southern Pacific, as a grading camp named "Eagle Nest". It was later renamed for George Langtry, an engineer and foreman working on the railroad. Roy Bean soon after arrived and set up a tent saloon on railroad land.

Related Topics:
1882 - Southern Pacific - Grading camp - George Langtry - Tent saloon

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In 1884 a post office opened, and in 1892 the town was reported to have a general store, two saloons (one of them Bean's "The Jersey Lily", named after the Jersey actress Lillie Langtry who was unrelated to George Langtry), and the railroad depot, although most of the population of 150 lived in tents.

Related Topics:
1884 - Post office - 1892 - General store - Jersey - Lillie Langtry - Railroad depot

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After Bean's death in 1903 the town began to decline; in the 1920s Southern Pacific moved its facilities away from the town, and the town population had dwindled to 50, and then to 40 by the 1970s. Tourism to the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center in Langtry continues to keep the town alive.

Related Topics:
1903 - 1920s - 1970s - Tourism - Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center

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In the 1970s, tourism began to pick up, in part, thanks to renewed interested generated by the movie, The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean, starring Paul Newman.

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Image:Old_langtry_tx.jpg|Judge Roy Bean, the `Law West of the Pecos,' holding court at the old town of Langtry, Texas in 1900, trying a horse thief. This building was courthouse and saloon. No other peace officers in the locality at that time.

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Image:Roy bean jersey lilly.jpg|A tourist visits the preserved Jersey Lilly saloon in 2004.

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