History of Eastland County, Texas

In compiling this History of Eastland County the author has spared no pains in gathering the necessary material, and has striven to give realistic pictures in accordance with the facts. In some instances the data are so scant that it has been necessary to supply the missing material as to environment by conjecture. This liberty, when taken, has always been indicated in the text.

 

Table of Contents

PERIOD I — 1858-1873.
SETTLEMENT.

Chapter I.
The New County.

Chapter II.
The First Settlers.

Chapter III.
Indian Tribes.

Chapter IV.
"Charge, Boys, Charge!"

Chapter V.

1. Forted Ranches and Incidents of the Times.
2. The First Wedding.

Chapter VI.

1. An Indian Race.
2. A Turkey Hunt.
3. The Lost Arrow Head.

Chapter VII.
In War Times.

Chapter VIII.
Some Indian Fights.


1. Ellison's Spring.
2. Cisco Running Fight.
3. The Cottonwood Fight.
4. Finley, the Little Dog Scout.
5. The Stolen Boy.
6. The Battle Creek Fight.

Chapter IX.

1. In the Midst of Life.
2. In Search of a Wife.

Chapter X.
The Texas Rangers.

PERIOD II — 1873-1881.
ORGANIZATION.

Chapter I.
The Moving Frontier Line.

Chapter II.
Organization of the County.

Chapter III.
Some of the First Voters.

Chapter IV.
The County Town, Eastland City.

Chapter V.
The Advent of the Railroad.

1. The Texas and Pacific.
2. The Texas Central.

PERIOD III — 1881-1904.
GROWTH AND PROGRESS.

Chapter I.
Cisco.

Chapter II.
Rising Star.

Chapter III.
Gorman.

Chapter IV.
Carbon.

Chapter V.
Ranger.

Chapter VI.
Scranton — Romney.

Chapter VII.
Desdemona.

Chapter VIII.
The Methodist Church

Chapter IX.
The Baptist Church.

Chapter X.
Other Churches.

Chapter XI.
School Directory.

Chapter XII.
Left Over.

 

Read the Book - Free

Download the Book - Free ( 7.3 MB PDF)

In 1858, before a white man had ventured to expose himself and family to the dangers of what was then an Indian infested frontier, Eastland County was created by an act of the Seventh Legislature of Texas. By the same act Callahan, Stephens, Concho, Wichita, Coleman, Dawson, Shackelford, McMullin, Frio, Zavalla, Edwards, Haskell, Knox, Hardeman, Dimmit, Baylor, Runnels, Jones, Wilbarger, La Salle, Duval, Taylor, and Encinal Counties came into existence. The bill was approved Feb. 1, 1858.*

Eastland County is ideally located, containing within its limits the divide between the Leon River and Palo Pinto Creek, and the eastern extremity of the backbone of the Colorado and Brazos Rivers. The depression be-tween these two divides is cut into by Colony Creek, a tributary of the Leon River.

*The County was named for Captain William Eastland, who died a prisoner in Mexico. He is thought to have been one of the Muir prisoners, though Bean, in his memoirs in Yoakum's History of Texas, does not give his name.