Briscoe County pioneer William E. Schott (1870-1941) was born in Ohio and moved to North Texas in 1885. Still legally a minor, he came to this area in 1890 and filed a claim for the first of his later extensive landholdings. In 1891 he overcame the Caprock barrier by building the first wagon road to Silverton, where in 1892 he helped organize Briscoe County. A major factor in the settlement of this region, Schott Cap Road (1.5 mi. N) was improved when auto travel began. Schott supported local education and encouraged improvement of cattle herds. He married (1907) Tina Kitchen; they had four children. (1975)