Andrews County was named for Richard Andrews, the first casualty in Texas's fight for independence from Mexico in 1835 at the battle of Concepci?n. Before the creation of the county in 1876 by the Texas legislature, the area had been largely ignored by state officials and avoided by ranchers and settlers because of its remoteness, scarcity of water, and attacks by local Native Americans. That all changed in 1875 after an expedition by U.S. cavalry...