Prehistoric Clovis culture peoples[4] in Culberson County lived in the rock shelters and caves nestled near water supplies.

[7] Antonio de Espejo was also the first white person to see the Mescalero Apache just east of the Guadalupe Mountains.

In 1849, John Salmon "Rip" Ford[9] explored the area between San Antonio and El Paso, noting in his mapped report the productive land upon which the Mescalero Indians farmed.

By the mid-17th century, the Mescaleros expanded their territory to the Plains Navajos and Pueblos from the Guadalupes, and El Paso del Norte.

In January 1870, a group of soldiers attacked a Mescalero Apache village near Delaware Creek in the Guadalupe Mountains.

In July 1880, soldiers at Tinaja de las Palmas attacked a group of Mescaleros led by Chief Victorio.

Texas Commissioner Robert Simpson Neighbors[13] was sent by Governor Peter Hansborough Bell in 1850 to organize El Paso.

Lt. Francis Theodore Bryan[14] camped at Guadalupe Pass while exploring a route from San Antonio to El Paso via Fredericksburg.

In July 1848, Secretary of War William L. Marcy wanted a military post established on the north side of the Rio Grande.

Bartlett declared the Guadalupe Mountains dark and gloomy, and proposed a transcontinental railroad be built south of the peaks.

These mail coaches provided a means for travelers to reach California in 27 days if the passenger had the $200 for a one-way fare and was courageous enough to withstand the weather and dangers en route.

Blue Origin, the space vehicle development company founded by Jeff Bezos, maintains a suborbital launch site about 25 miles north of Van Horn, Texas.

Prior to 2024, the last Republican presidential candidate to carry the county was George W. Bush in 2004, who drew even with Kerry among Hispanic voters in the state.

Democratic strength has declined in the county in recent years, with Joe Biden barely receiving over 50% of the vote in 2020.