Langtry, Texas

This article refers to Langtry, Texas. For other uses, see Langtry (disambiguation).

Langtry, Texas
Main Street in Langtry
Location of Langtry in Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Quay
Established	1882
Elevation	1,289 ft (393 m)
Population  (1990)
• Total	145
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	78871

Langtry is an unincorporated community in Val Verde County, Texas, United States. The community is notable as the location of "Judge" Roy Bean, the "Law West of the Pecos" (Bean was actually a justice of the peace).

History

Langtry 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 who had supervised a Chinese work crew building the railroad. Roy Bean arrived soon after and set up a tent saloon on railroad land.

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

After Bean's death in 1903 the town began to decline after the highway was moved slightly north for a more direct route, thus bypassing the town. In the 1920s Southern Pacific moved its facilities away from the town, and the town population dwindled to 50. By the 1970s the population dipped as low as 40. Tourism to the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center continues to keep the town alive and has helped to increase its population back up to 145 according to the 1990 census.

Depictions in the media

The town's exposure in mass media helped to renew interest in the town.

• 1940's The Westerner, featuring Walter Brennan as antagonist Judge Roy Bean and Gary Cooper as a fictional interloper, reiterated the myth of the town's naming for Lillie Langtry.
• In 1956 Roy Bean hit the TV airwaves and included many stars of the day such as Edgar Buchanan.
• In 1972 the movies sparked interest with The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, starring Paul Newman.

Gallery

• 
  Scenic Pecos River east of Langtry: Judge Roy Bean claimed to have been the "Law West of the Pecos".
• 
  Judge Bean historical marker in Langtry
• 
  Judge Roy Bean holding court at the Jersey Lilly
• 
  The Jersey Lilly saloon in September 2005
• 
  Inside Judge Bean's saloon in Langtry
• 
  A restaurant named for actress Lilly Langtry in Langtry, Texas
• 
  The western windmill at the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center

External links

• Langtry, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Lillie Langtry - Biography on the woman that inspired the name.
• The Life & Times of Judge Roy Bean - IMDB entry on the Paul Newman movie.
• Roy Bean - IMDB entry on the 1956 TV show.