The "Bosque" (pronounced bah-skee)
is Spanish for "wood" or "wooded area"
It is with a warm "Howdy!"
that we welcome you!
Texas, Our 28th state
Capital - Austin;
Motto - Friendship;
Nickname - Lone Star State;
Song - Texas,
Our Texas;
Flower - Bluebonnet;
Tree- Pecan;
Bird - Mockingbird
Most Beautiful County - Bosque!!
It is believed the single or lone star
is derived from the Bonnie Blue flag that flew over Texas from
1836 to 1839. It was under this flag that the people of Texas fought
the Texas Revolution against Mexico.
Texas won the war and declared its independence in 1836 and became
the Republic of Texas.
Texas remained an independent republic until it became a state on
December 29, 1845.
The color blue stands for loyalty, white for purity and red for
bravery.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Lone Star State is well known for its
size, big & bright starry nights, sunshine & friendly folks,
BUT...
did you know that it also hosts many of
the most interesting (and beautiful) sites in central Texas?
You can spend as little as a couple of
days to see them, or a couple of weeks if you take the time
to enjoy all of the other things to see
and do. Thing is, as many that have visited will tell you,
there's enough time for this Eden,
our Beautiful Bosque County.
Viva La Bosque
"My El Dorado"
Beautiful Bosque County Researchers Comments
Bosque County, Texas
Population (1990) 15,125
Location: 31.90179 N, 097.62910 W
Zip Code(s): 76622, 76634, 76637, 76638,
76649, 76652, 76665, 76671, 76689, 76690
In 1854 Bosque County was created from
parts of McLennan and Milam District.
In 1858 Buchanan County was created from
a portion of Bosque County and
Buchanan County was re-named Stephens County
in 1861.
Location: 31.9017 N, 97.6291 W Browse Tiger
Map
of area. Other Maps
In the year 1721, the Marquis de Aguayoa
Spaniard, who established many missions
in Texas, led an expedition from San Antonio
de Bexar to the East Texas missions,
which were outposts of Spanish dominion
in the New World. In one trip, abandoning
the Old San Antonio Road in favor of a
more northerly route, from San Antonio de
Béxar to an East Texas mission,
the Spaniards arrived upon the banks of the Brazos
near its confluence with a major tributary.
During this time he camped near the
Brazos River and a major tributary. He
named this tributary Bosque, Spanish for
"woods." The county, therefore, derives
its name from the Bosque River.
Also in the diary of Father San Juan Antonio
de Pena, the chaplain of the expedition, tells of a tributary which joined
the Brazos about half a league from the Spanish camp. The dense woods around
the junction of the two streams suggested to the Spanish the name bosque,
or "woodsy" for the tributary stream.
Bosque County is located in Central Texas.
The county seat, Meridian, which is situated in the center of the county.
The county lies about sixty miles south of Dallas, and about forty miles
north of Waco. Bosque County is bordered by Erath County to the northwest
Somervell County to the north, Johnson and Hill counties to the east, McLennan
and Coryell Counties to the south, and Hamilton County to the southwest.
State Highways that run through the county are 6, 22, 56, 144, 174, and
219, along with numerous county and farm-to-market roads.
It is also important to mention archaelogical
sites. There are many (at least 45?) around Bosque and Hill County.
The Smithsonian Institute found evidence of inhabitants in these counties
back as far as between 1300 and 1450, finding Archaic pre-pottery, pre
bow and arrow items.
Bosque County, The land:
The Bosque County, a natural highway once used
by the Indians, area covers approximately 989 square miles of Texas.
As a part of the Grand Prairie subdivision of the North Central Plains,
the land is mostly an area of shallow to deep, well-drained soils underlaid
by limestone. In this region of rolling hills, the moist soils of the river
bottoms promote the growth of elm, cottonwood, river birch, sycamore, ash,
pecan, and a variety of oak trees. The area is also distinguished by clusters
of flat-topped hills separated by low areas of flat grassland. Throughout
Bosque County, post oaks, cedars, oaks, junipers, and mesquites are prevalent.
During the Spring months the broad display of flowers on the hills and
prairies include a colorful assortment of: redbuds, Indian paintbrushes,
fox gloves, pinks, daisies, yuccas, thsitles, dandelions, and of course,
the prickly pea and bluebonnets.
Bosque County is considered a "well-watered"
area. The Brazos River borders the eastern edge of the county, and
the Bosque River cuts through the center of the county, from the north
and going south. Besides these major rivers, there are numerous smaller
tributaries, such as Cedron, Childers (or Childress), Coon, Duffau, Fall,
Flag, Gary (named for William GARY, pioneer settler of Neils Creek), Grass,
Hill, Hog, Honey, Little Rocky, Meridian, Mesquite, Mill, Mustang, Neils
(named by George Bernard ERATH, probably for Neil McLENNAN or Claiborne
NEIL), Plowman, Rock, Spring, Steele, and Turkey Creeks, among a few more
that are not yet known to me. Near the northeast corner of the county lies
the well-known Kimball's Bend in the Brazos River. In 1951 Lake Whitney
was constructed on the Brazos River at the southeastern edge of Bosque
County.
Bosque County, The Weather:
Bosque County is very hot in the summer and
cool in the winter, with occasional cold surges that cause sharp drops
in the otherwise mild climate. The average temparature is about 70.6 degrees
Fahrenheit. In the winter, the average low temperature is said to
be 47° F. The lowest temperature on record, however, is -3°,
recorded at Whitney Dam on 02 February 1951. During the summer, the average
daily high temperature is 95°. A record 111° was recorded on 26
July 1954. Rainfall is uniformly distributed throughout the county with
an average of 33 inches a year. The heaviest one-day rainfall was 6.22
inches, measured at Whitney Dam on 19 October 1971. Along the North
Bosque River in the southmost corner of the county, where the unpenetrateable
bedrock is most widely scattered, serious floods occur.
Bosque County, The Indians:
Tonkawa, Caddo, Wichita branches (Waco, and
Towash, and Tawakoni) Indians roamed Central Texas long before permanent
settlement by European Americans. The peaceable Tonkawas (Tonks) were the
most predominant in number. They are said to have claimed that they
never took a scalp. These Indians were a small group, and the only complaint
that the settlers had against them was stealing. The Comanches, who lived
nearby, occasionally raided travelers or settlers in the Bosque territory
to steal horses and property, or to take scalps. When whites followed them
in attempts to regain their property, the Tonkawas often acted as their
guides, or spies. Like the Tonkawas , the Tawakonis were enemies
of the Apache and Comanch, and were generally friendly to the early Texas
settlers. Their importance in the history of Bosque County resulted
from an association between the early settlers and the related Waco Indian
tribes that located along the banks of the Brazos River, near present-day
Waco.
Bosque County, The People
& Settlements:
Settlement of the area began in 1825 when Sterling
C. ROBERTSON obtained a grant from the Mexican government in order to colonize
the area along the Brazos River. Very few of the homesteaders chose to
live within the current boundaries of Bosque County; however, the grant
did prompt travel through the area. George Bernard ERATH, a surveyor for
both the Republic of Texas and the state of Texas, is credited with naming
many of the streams and landmarks in Texas. In the late 1830s he named
Meridian Creek and the Meridian Knobs for the fact that they were near
the ninety-eighth meridian. In 1841 the botched Texan-Santa Fe expedition
passed through the region, and many of the travelers chose to stay.
In 1847, Richard B. KIMBALL, a prominent banker from New York, obtained
a grant of land from the state of Texas along the west bank of the Brazos
river fourteen miles north of the mouth of the Paluxy River. Soon,
KIMBALL formed a partnership with Jacob DE CORDOVA in order to develop
this land. They planned to establish a town so that they could lure prospective
settlers to move to the area. A site was chosen along the Brazos
River where there was a shallow stream. They named the town after
KIMBALL. Since this was the best spot to cross the river for miles, many
travelers, going east to west, came through town. Also, it was at this
point, the Chisolm Trail crossed the waterway. The location of Kimball,
therefore, made it a good stopping place for settlers, ranchers, and cowboys.
Following a successful start, however, Kimball was missed by the railroads
that were built in the county later in the decade. This resulted
in the quick decline of the town, and only a few people remain there today.
Bosque County, The Founding
Fathers:
During the years 1851 - 52, F.M. GANDY, William
GARY, J.K. HELTON, Jasper MABRY, William McCURRY, and Lowry H. SCRUTCHFIELD,
and probably others, settled in the Bosque River Valley. In the fall and
winter of 1852-53 the families of Frank M. KELL, Samuel S. LOCKER, A. C.
PEARCE , John THOMAS, and William SEDBERRY, settled in the Beautiful Bosque
Territory. Soon (prior to 1854), other families migrated to Bosque Region.
These were Govey, and Issac, and Matthias GARY (sons of William GARY),
Archibald KELL, James MABRY, Lum McCURRY (son to William McCURRY) ,and
probably many, many others.
Bosque County, The Formation:
In 1850, McLennan County was carved out of
the Milam District. The same year the Universal Immigration Company
of England purchased 27,000 acres of land from Richard KIMBALL and laid
out a townsite on the west bank of the Brazos. In the late 185Os, the
company sent over about 120 people (30
families). They settled in an area between the present-day towns of Kopperl
and Kimball under a massive rock formation called Solomon's Nose. They
named this idealistic colony Kent. (Read more in our Populated
Places Section) Unfortunately, the citizens of Kent fell to the same
fate that their ancestors did more than a century before in Jamestown,
Virginia. The first harsh winter caused many hardships that led to
a high number of fatalities. The settlement quickly broke up, and the colonists
migrated separately to other areas. Some moved back to England.
By the winter of 1853-1854 the poplualtion
along the Bosque River was sufficient to warrant an "official" organization.
Bosque County was officially formed on 04 February 1854, from McLennan
County. Soon a site was chosen at which to locate the county seat. George
Bernard ERATH laid out the town of Meridian in the center of the county
on land donated by Dr. Josephus M. STEINER. Town lots were sold at a public
auction on the Fourth of July 1854. Soon thereafter, the first courthouse,
a one-story log cabin, was erected by William McCURRY & possibly his
son-in-law, Nathan SCREWS, in the middle of town. This building served
the needs of the residents until 1869, when a larger frame structure was
built. In 1871 this second courthouse burned. For four years the business
of the county was conducted in a tent. In 1875 the third, and I believe
present courthouse was completed, a three-story structure of native stone.
It has the most beautiful stairway (inside) I have ever seen, with a sliced
portion of The Election Oak, enclosed in a "frame", among other items,
by the stairway's left side.
Bosque County, The Immigrants:
In 1854, Norwegian immigrants began to move
to the area. Ole CANUTESON, the first, believed that the land was much
like that in Norway. The state of Texas offered 320 acres to each family
that would settle in the new county, and the Norwegians took advantage
of the offer. Cleng PEERSON, the "father" of Norwegian immigration to America,
led the settlers to the region. The bulk of them settled in a triangular
covering the present-day towns of Clifton, Norse, and Cranfills Gap. PEERSON
was sixty-seven years old when he moved to Bosque County, and he lived
the remainder of his life in the area. Many descendants of the CANUTESONs,
DAHLs, QUESTADs, RINGNESSEs, among other Norwegian settlers, still live
in Bosque County.
Bosque County, The Elections:
Election Oak was so named because this was
where the first county election was held, 07 August 1854. The turnout
was small, but county officials were chosen and the local government began
to function. Three ballot boxes were provided for voters. Only twenty
qualified voters cast their votes that day. The newly held offices
were: Lowery H. SCRUTCHFIELD, county judge; Jasper N. MABRAY, county
clerk; P. BRYANT, shriff; Isaac GARY, tax assessor-collector; Archabald
KELL, treasurer; A.C. PEARCE, district clerk; J.K. HELTON, justice of peace;
and Sam BARNES, O. DENNIS, J.H. MABRAY, and Israel B. STANDIFER, county
commissioners.
The next significant election took place
on 23 February 1861, when secession was the issue. The citizens voted for
it by 233 to 81; the Norwegians voted against secession by 52 to 42. Like
many other European immigrants in Central Texas, the Norwegians of southern
Bosque County maintained Union sentiments throughout the conflict, though
they did not join in the fighting.
Bosque County, The Civil
War:
The history of the Civil War era in Bosque
County is sketchy because of skimpy record keeping. Between 1861 and 1865
many men from the county served in the military. The most significant contributions
were to the Second Frontier District, the Nineteenth Texas Infantry, and
Company H of Col. T. C. HAWPE's regiment. The latter two units saw
action in the Louisiana and Arkansas campaigns, and a few of the members
fought with the Army of Northern Virginia. The majority of the soldiers,
however, guarded the area against Indians. In January 1865 many of them
fought in the famed battle of Dove Creek battle against the Kickapoos.
Although the battle took place in what it now Tom Green County, many Bosque
County fighters participated; about ten of them died. Probably the
most significant impact of the Civil War in Bosque County was that it slowed,
and in some places halted, development. Few people moved to new counties
at the time, and the Norwegians stopped coming.
Bosque County, Following
the Civil War:
The county began to make progress in the decades
following the Civil War. During Reconstruction the county population grew,
from 4,981 in 1870 to 11,216 in 1880. Additionally, the black population
increased from 293 in 1860 to 528 in 1870. But lawlessness, including the
killing of freedmen, thrived. In early 1870 the situation was so bad that
the Austin Daily State Journal reported Bosque County was averaging two
killings each week.
Bosque County, The Population:
By 1856, the population had increased only
slightly, with most settlers living South of Meridian, and along the Bosque
River.
By 1880 the population had grown to 11,216,
and the value of the farms in the county had finally surpassed the $1 million
mark. New communities were established. In 1881 the Texas Central and the
Santa Fe railroads came to the area, and several towns began to flourish.
The number of manufacturing establishments increased from eleven in 1880
to eight-five in 1900. The county, however, did not sustain this surge
of growth, and by 1920 only twenty-one manufacturers remained; the number
was the same in 1977.
At the turn of the century the population
had increased to 17,390, but growth fell off subsequently in livestock
production, crop production, and manufacturing. There were several reasons
for the local depression. The soil was exhausted and eroding. Declining
prices, spring floods, summer droughts,
unseasonable weather, and onslaughts of insects plagued farmers. During
the second decade of the twentieth century, Bosque County witnessed its
first decline in population, decreasing from a peak of 19,013 in 1910 to
18,032 in 1920. The downward trend continued until 1980. During the decade
before the Great Depression, Bosque County farmers and ranchers witnessed
noticeable losses in agriculture. From 1920 to 1930, the value of all farms
decreased from $26,308,381 to $17,255,955. The production of wheat alone
dropped by more than 500,000 bushels.
Manufacturers were down to eleven by 1930.
When the depression hit the entire nation in 1929, Bosque County residents
were already suffering very hard times.
Bosque County, The Politics:
The citizens of the county had remained faithful
followers of Democratic politics from 1876 to 1932. The only break occurred
in 1928, when they opposed Democratic candidate Alfred SMITH because he
was a Catholic with New York mannerisms. In November 1932 the county joined
the voters of Texas and the rest of the nation to give Franklin D. ROOSEVELT
a tremendous victory at the polls. On March 25, 1933, when residents in
need of aid were required to assemble at the city hall in Clifton to register
for assistance, 107 citizens applied. Within a few days, half of them were
employed clearing the municipal park under the Federal Emergency Relief
Act. The Civilian Conservation Corps opened Camp Clifton on the banks
of the Bosque River on June 21, 1933. The corps was assigned to beautify
the city park and to construct low-water dams on nearby streams. In June,
articles in the local paper called for cotton growers to plow under a portion
of their crops. Reportedly, at least 90 percent of the cotton farmers
of the county supported the program; county farmers received an estimated
$125,831 cash for the destroyed cotton. When Congress passed the National
Industrial Recovery Act, "blue eagles" began to appear in store windows
throughout the county. But though the New Deal assisted Bosque County residents,
it they could not stop the downward trend that had begun in the 1920s.
Bosque County, The Population
& Economy:
During the 1980s, Bosque County grew in population
and economy. In the late 1970s and 1980s citizens of Clifton, the
largest town, carried out "Operation Comeback." The town grew by 40 percent
in population and more than 100 percent in businesses. The town
renovated old buildings in order to open
a modern home for senior citizens, established Goodall-Witcher Hospital,
and opened a 150-employee garment factory, an oilfield-tool manufacturing
plant, and a 100-employee lime plant. During the 1980s, Bosque County
grew in population and prospered.
In 1990, the population of Bosque County
reached 13,924; the peak of 1920 was still not achieved. Bosque County
ranks fourteenth among all United States counties in the percentage of
its population that is sixty-five years of age or older. In addition to
Clifton, Meridian, and Valley Mills, the county has numerous small towns.
As of 1982, there were 7,420 registered voters in the county. Voter turnout
ranged remarkably between 58 and 73 percent in the 1980s; 97 percent voted
Democratic and three percent voted Republican in the 1982 primaries. About
half of those registered cast a ballot. Voting in presidential elections
has varied. Since supporting Franklin Delano ROOSEVELT for four terms,
county voters switched to the Republican candidates in 1952, 1972, and
1980 through 1992. The education level in the county has steadily increased.
In 1850, 22 percent of the population had graduated from high school; in
1980, 44 percent.
Bosque County, The Prominent
People:
Several prominent persons have hailed from
Bosque County. Among them were Calvin M. CURETON, state attorney general
and a member of the state Supreme Court; Earle B. MAYFIELD, United States
senator; James E. and Miriam A. FERGUSON, governors of Texas; and the TANDY
family, who formed the TANDY Corporation, & our most recent president,
George W. BUSH, from Crawford, McClenan Co., right next to Bosque Co.!
Sources:
1) Texas County-Bosque- Government Information:
www.state.tx.us
2) Bosque County, Land and People
(Dallas: Curtis Media, 1985)
3) Bosquerama, 1854-1954: Centennial
Celebration of Bosque County, Texas (Meridian,
Texas: Bosque
County Centennial Association, 1954).
4) William C. Pool, A History of
Bosque County (San Marcos, Texas: San Marcos Record
Press, 1954).
William C. Pool, Bosque Territory (Kyle, Texas: Chaparral, 1964).
5) Texas Handbook Online:
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/index.new.html
6) Texas Handbook Online:
Bosque County:
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/BB/hcb10.html
7) Texas Handbook Online:
Bosue River:
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/BB/rnb5.html
8) WPA Life Histories Search:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaquery.html
9) From the Census Bureau:
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/datamap/cnty?48=035
10) Bosque County Researchers
11) Bosque County Handbook
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/cgi-bin/web_evaluate?query=Bosque+county&dataset=tsha.dst&use_bp=1
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by BettieWood. All rights reserved.