thumb|This [[Edaphosaurus boanerges fossil skeleton from Archer County is on display in Harvard Museum of Natural History.]]
thumb|Edaphosaurus boanerges life restoration
Archer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,560. Its county seat is Archer City. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area.
History
In 1858, the Texas Legislature established Archer County from portions of Fannin County, and it organized in 1880. It is named for Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (2.4%) are covered by water.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 82
- 25px U.S. Highway 277
- 25px U.S. Highway 281
- 20px State Highway 25
- 20px State Highway 79
- 20px State Highway 114
Adjacent counties
- Wichita County (north)
- Clay County (east)
- Jack County (southeast)
- Young County (south)
- Baylor County (west)
- Wilbarger County (northwest)
Geology
Archer County is part of the Texas Red Beds, which are strata of red-colored sedimentary rock from the Early Permian. One of the most prominent red-bed fossil sites in the county is the Geraldine Bonebed. The fossils of Permian-period vertebrates in the Texas Red Beds were first discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in 1877. Subsequent research has revealed rare fossils of Permian period amphibians such as Trimerorhachis, and rich deposits of other Permian tetrapods such as Dimetrodon and Diadectes.