Texas

A rural area in Texas, Atascosa County is located directly south of San Antonio. The old roads traveled through this land were en route to missions, forts, and places of importance to natives, explorers, settlers, wildlife, and battle-tested armies. Atascosa County was created in 1856 by the Texas Legislature, and since the land grants were distributed in the late 1800s, the population has increased substantially as settlers dealt with Indian raids, drought, and the hardships of farming and ranching. As the rest of America embraced the machine age and technical wonders, Atascosa County has evolved along in stride. Initially, wagons, plows, and mules toiled for rural Atascosa County; today, vehicles, tractors, and modern machinery keep the county moving forward. Coined “The Birthplace of the Cowboy” by historian Dr. Ben Parker, the land continues to be dominated by the cattle industry. In modern history, country stars such as Willie Nelson and George Strait have blazed a path through Atascosa County with deep ties and humble beginnings.

Martin Gonzales is the chairman of the Atascosa County Historical Commission. He and his fellow volunteers have carried on the great work of appointed commissions of the past by recognizing and continuing to study local history. This publication was made possible with contributions from Atascosa County citizens who gladly answered the call for historical pictures and the stories that went with them.

Carved from central Comancheria, Erath (EE-rath) County was created by stock raisers and settlers with little to lose but hopes and dreams. Bisected by Grand Prairie and Western Cross Timbers, this is where East Texas ends and West Texas begins. The Bosque and Paluxy Rivers welcomed ranchers, farmers, millers, and ginners. Rustlers, deserters, train robbers, vigilantes, lawmen, and Texas Rangers soon followed. Faith, education, life, and death cultivated villages with churches, schools, stores, and cemeteries in walking distance. Bridges, roads, and railways meant the life or death of a township. This volume commemorates the people, places, and events of lost communities that made the "Cowboy Capital of the World'? what it is today.

Granbury and Hood County’s history is both an American pioneer saga and a 20th-century rags to riches story. In the 17th century, Spanish explorers and the Comanche were vying to control the land carved across Texas by the mighty Brazos River. By the mid-19th century, white settlers came, led by visionaries like fiery preacher “Fighting” Joe Robinson in Acton, lawyer and legislator Abel Landers, the Nutt brothers, and Quaker-raised farmer Amon Bond in Granbury as well as education-minded Campbellite Pleasant Thorp in Thorp Spring and the Sears family in Lipan. Soon small settlements dotted the area. Once the Civil War passed and Hood County was formed in 1866, Granbury and the towns across the county became thriving centers of commerce fed by nearby farms and ranches. The 20th century brought hard times, but the creation of Lake Granbury in 1969 opened a new era of possibilities. Newcomers joined founders’ descendants to create a multifaceted renewal inspired by echoes of the past.

The real estate development called West University Place was part of a trend in the early 20th century of building affordable neighborhoods away from city centers; it was never meant to be a city on its own.

Early residents wanted Houston to annex their land, but when Houston declined, A.D. Foreman raised enough money to supply electricity, water, and phone service. Lewis and Mae Ryon took the next step by petitioning their neighbors to apply for a city charter, which was granted on January 2, 1924. Slowly, over the next century, West University Place evolved from treeless farmland into one of the most livable small towns in Texas—but the journey was not easy. More than once, the enterprise could have failed. If not for the actions of visionary leaders and dedicated residents, things may have turned out quite differently. 

Freelance science writer Richard Cunningham is on the City of West University Place Parks and Recreation Board. In 2021, he originated research into the location of the 1894 Harris County Poor Farm, which led to the approval of a historical marker on the Edloe Street pathway. Richard and his wife, Lily Ann, live on Ruskin Street in a 1948 cottage that they remodeled in 2007. 

Established around 1848 as Deer Creek Settlement, Crowley grew from a small pioneering community just south of Fort Worth, Texas. When Galveston, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad Company constructed a rail line during the 1870s connecting Cleburne to Fort Worth, the settlement relocated about a mile west. The first train ran through Crowley on December 8, 1881. An integral part of Crowley's growth, the railroad provided ease of shipping cattle and crops and access to transportation. Cattle were either loaded on to railcars or unloaded and sent directly to stock pens. From there they went straight to an auction barn. A feed mill was built, and grocery and hardware stores soon opened. Records indicate that the first post office was housed in Hayes Brothers General Store and opened in 1883. Crowley was officially on the map as a thriving town. By the end of the 20th century, Crowley boasted approximately 8,000 residents. Since then, the population size has doubled.

Explore Granbury’s celebrated history. Granbury owes much of its present charm to its vibrant heritage, from the elegant limestone facades that ring the historic town square to its treasury of Victorian homes. And it owes much of its resilience to the rougher portions of its past, dating back to a frontier era filled with saloons and land disputes. Sitting on one of its sunny restaurant patios, it’s hard to image figures like Jesse James or John Wilkes Booth flitting through Granbury’s lore, but the town has stared down its fair share of mysterious tragedy and stubborn prejudice. Join Author David K. Barnett in navigating the landmarks and legacies of a town flooded with history.

Since its earliest days, the city of Lubbock has actively pursued opportunities and infrastructure for its citizens. Highlighted in this book are homes, businesses, buildings, and quality-of-life spaces that speak to this heritage.

Lush pastures, babbling creeks, seven lakes, and piney timber woods surround a community that has seen considerable growth and expansion in the last few decades. As the hub of Northeast Texas, Mount Pleasant has a delightfully storied past that natives fondly remember and newcomers have yet to learn.

Lampasas County's sulfur springs fueled early success in the region, but when the railroad extended past its small towns, prosperity waned. Today, Lampasas enjoys a renaissance as crowds, real estate prices, and high taxes drive people from the big cities into the countryside. These newcomers have taken an interest in the history of the county and have worked alongside natives to restore many historic sites.

Hutchinson County is in the center of the High Plains in the Texas Panhandle. Home to diverse native vegetation and abundant wildlife, the fertile plains to the north and the deep canyons of the Canadian River valley in the south define this land of contrasts. Ancient Native American culture thrived along the river for centuries. Plains tribes still dominated the region until the imperialist idea of manifest destiny became the law of the land, leading to westward expansion during the 19th century. Some of the early participants in this expansion used the Canadian River as a natural highway as they mapped the Texas Panhandle. Hutchinson County was established in 1876, and ranchers and farmers created a prosperous economy. By 1901, most of the county was an agricultural community, but the discovery of oil in 1921 drastically changed the lifestyles of those who lived there--and made their futures even brighter. Today, oil, cattle, and crops still dominate the local economy. Hard work and tenacity remain distinctive characteristics of those who reside in the area.

Between 1960 and 1970, Plano, Texas experienced a population increase of 384 percent. Enrollment for new students skyrocketed, and the Plano Independent School District soon needed more schools. Plano became more progressive, African American students at Douglass High moved to newly integrated Plano High School. In both 1965 and 1967, the Plano Wildcats won the State Championship in football. In 1971, the Wildcats won the State Championship again, followed by one more in 1977. Herbert Hunt continued to build North Texas housing divisions, planning a 3,959 acre development which allowed for the rise of residential and commercial interests in Plano. By 1975, Plano's last cotton gin closed its doors. The city completed the transition from small farming community to bustling urban center. By the end of the decade, Plano's population exceeded 72,000 citizens. Plano has experienced periodic growth since its founding, in no small part due to the transportation systems that have carved their way through the city. Native American trails, stage coach lines, railways, and highways have intersected this area to support heavy expansion and make Plano what it is today. Plano has transformed from a rural, predominately white community to a diverse international city. In fact more than 25% of Plano residents were born outside of the United States.

San Antonio fue fundada en 1718, para 1730 el virrey de Nueva España emitió órdenes de trazar mapas de plazas y parques para la llegada de los isleños de las Canarias en 1731. Las plazas con sus mercados se convirtieron en centros de negocios y entretenimiento. La primera fue Plaza de las Armas y cuando los isleños llegaron, marcaron Plaza de las Islas (Plaza Principal). Plaza del à lamo era el centro de comercio antes de la guerra civil; al ir creciendo San Antonio los mercados se tuvieron que relocalizar. La construcción del Mercado Municipal empezó en 1899. �ste fue construido en Plaza Paschal y demolido en los 1930s pero el anexo del Mercado Municipal, construido en los 1920s, sobrevivió. Los anexos se convirtieron en El Mercado y Centro de Artes. En los 1970s, un edificio permanente para el mercado de agricultores fue construido en la Plaza de Zacate. Hoy éstos, con los edificios históricos en el área, son conocidos como El Mercado.