Unattended Death and Biohazard Cleanup in Rocksprings, TX

Rocksprings is the county seat of Edwards County, sited in 1891 by J. R. Sweeten because of the natural springs that bubble up through the area's porous limestone rocks, which gave the town its name.

Rocksprings gained a post office and became the county seat in 1891, and its original courthouse burned in 1897; the town's name was officially shortened from two words, Rock Springs, to Rocksprings that same year.

On April 12, 1927, an F5 tornado destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in Rocksprings, killed more than 70 people, and injured 205, nearly a third of the town's population at the time.

Rocksprings is recognized as the Angora Goat Capital of the World, and its economy is centered on the wool and mohair industry, with Edwards County ranking among the world's top wool and mohair producers.

The Angora Goat Breeders Association Museum is located in Rocksprings, and each May the town hosts the "Top-o-the-World" festival honoring mohair and wool production.

Rocksprings' weekly newspaper is the Rocksprings Record and Texas Mohair Weekly, reflecting the town's century-old ties to the mohair trade.

Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area, a noted Hill Country attraction, lies about 8 miles northeast of Rocksprings, and the town's visitor center arranges tours of it.

Rocksprings sits atop the Edwards Plateau at an elevation of about 2,402 feet, roughly 100 miles west of San Antonio at the junction of U.S. Highway 377 and State Highway 55.

Rocksprings had 874 residents at the 2020 census, living in 559 households, down from a peak of 1,436 people in 1950.

About 72.5% of Rocksprings residents were Hispanic or Latino at the 2020 census.