Chihuahuita (Little Chihuahua) was settled by Ricardo Brusuelas, who received a land grant from Spanish authorities in 1818 and developed a prosperous ranch. After 1848, when the Rio Grande became part of the U.S.-Mexico border, new settlers arrived to farm the land. With the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1881, Chihuahuita began to grow dramatically. Soon a crowded urban area, it was designated the city's first ward in 1887.

When the wooden Santa Fe bridge was built in 1892, the area became a major entry point for people and goods from Mexico into the American Southwest. The old Brusuelas land grant eventually became the property of Pedro Y. Garcia, who filed an 1894 claim in a Mexican court that led to the Chamizal land dispute, finally settled in 1963.

The Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910, brought a surge of refugees north, many to Chihuahuita, and it served as a center of intrigue. It also provided views of the fighting across the Rio Grande. After the revolution, it continued to grow as a gateway to El Paso. At the same time, it became an overcrowded and neglected area, beset with housing and health problems.

Renewed interest in the historic neighborhood in the late 20th century resulted in clean-up and rehabilitation efforts. In 1991, the City of El Paso declared Chihuahuita a historic district because of its long and significant history. Today, Chihuahuita is an important reminder of the region's early growth and development.

Frontiersmen began to immigrate into the south Concho Valley in 1870s, locating along the "Toe Nail" trail from Fort McKavett to Fort Concho. By mid-1880s the settlement began to develop and a Union Church was organized, the South Concho Irrigation Co. was established in 1885, and built a dam and 3 miles of canals to furnish water to dry farmland. Christopher C. Doty (1857-1944), who had arrived in Texas in 1879, opened a store and applied for a post office in 1888, after rejection of application for "Alice", due to another office of that name, Doty suggested "Christobal" (Spanish for Christopher). Confirmation of establishment of the office and Doty's appointment as postmaster arrived in Jan, 1889, but the spelling of the name had been changed to Christoval. After flood in Aug. 1906, a tract of bottomland was purchased for a city park, which became popular Baptist campground and site of Confederate reunions, both attended by thousands of regional residents. A bath house, built in 1915 at nearby mineral wells, was first of several local health facilities. Arrival of the Panhandle & Santa Fe Railroad, in 1930, made Christoval a shipping point for area sheep, wool, and cattle industries.

Settled 1857. Acquired a Post Office 1858. An oil vein ruined 1860s water well of townsite donor Greenleaf Fisk. Wagon-yard keeper Martin Meinsinger sold medicinal oil from 1878 well. Commercial drilling began 1889. Farming, cotton sales, business town since 1880s; was reached by Santa Fe Railroad, 1885; Frisco, 1890. Two colleges -- Daniel Baker and Howard Payne -- were situated here in 1889. Camp Bowie, World War II Military Post, operated in Brownwood from 1940 to 1946. Center for agriculture - retail sales - industry. Has a coliseum, parks, 110 miles of lake shore.

Site surveyed Christmas Day, 1887, by L.G. Conner, who also donated land for numerous civic improvements. Named for the colorful Palo Duro Canyon, 12 miles east. Despite a harsh environment characterized by snow, sandstorms, and grasshopper plaques, pioneer citizens pushed ahead. The first school, with 6 students, was organized in 1889. First telephone line was built in 1896, using barbed wire fence posts as poles. Church services were held from early days, with all groups worshipping in the courthouse. Arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1898 also spurred town growth: In 1901, 1902, and 1908 Canyon is said to have shipped out more cattle than any other city in the world. Canyon incorporated 1906 at the urging of Jasper N. Haney, lawyer, who was elected first mayor. More strides were made when an electric power plant was built 1908. It first ran only in the evening, but later was on in the afternoon - for women to do the ironing. Canyon became an educational center in 1910 when West Texas State University was opened here. Since then, the two have advanced side by side. Canyon citizens initiated Buffalo Lake Conservation Project, dedicated 1939, and have contributed greatly to the development of the entire Panhandle region.

When the tracks of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad were extended from Temple to Lampasas in the early 1880s, a switching station was installed near the midway point. The settlement that grew up around the site became the town of Killeen, named for Frank P. Killeen, a native of Ireland and a senior official of the rail company. The first train arrived on May 15, 1882, marking the beginning of the town.

Many early residents of Killeen came from the nearby pioneer communities of Sugar Loaf (6 mi.N) and Palo Alto (3.5 mi.NE). Town lots were sold by the GC&SF Railroad and one of the earliest structures built was a wooden community school which opened in the fall of 1882. By the following year Killeen was the site of two gristmills and a cotton gin. The town was incorporated in 1893 and W.E. Hudson was elected to serve as the first Mayor.

In the early years of Killeen's development, the town was primarily an agricultural center for the production of cotton, grain, wool and cattle. In 1942 it became the home of Camp Hood, now Fort Hood. The Federal installation's growth as a major military base has had a dramatic impact on the city, making it one of the fastest growing towns in Texas.

Cotton boom town in 19th century. Founded 1881; named for John D. Rogers, Santa Fe Railroad official. By 1884 had Post Office, stores; at peak had schools, churches, doctors, newspaper, 3 banks, 6 gins, many businesses. From here came four Bell County Sheriffs, including first one, William Reed.

Traces its beginning to 1854 when first house, a log cabin, was built here near a good spring. County Seat was bodily moved by wagon to this place (then called Camp Henderson) in 1867, and renamed to honor Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate General under whom many local Civil War veterans had served. Cleburne's growth has been rapid, particularly in the field of commerce, since 1876. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad line from Galveston to Fort Worth passed through Cleburne in 1881. A short time later, new branches connected the town with Dallas and Weatherford.

In 1898, the railroad's workshops were located here and development of Cleburne as an industrial center began. By 1950, Cleburne boasted a steel foundry, milk processing plants, ladies' garment factory, lime plant, chair factory, battery plant and the state's largest railroad construction and repair shops. Typical of other American towns, outward expansion found the original business district taking on a neglected appearance. In 1968, a group called "Our Town, Inc." became concerned with this deterioration and enlisted citizens' aid to help reverse the trend and restore the downtown district.

Located in an area of McLennan County once inhabited by Tonkawa Indians, the community of Crawford grew slowly from an 1850s settlement centered around Tonk Crossing (two miles northeast). The first townsite was at the crossroads of the Waco to Gatesville and Belton to Fort Graham trade routes. The exact source for the town's name is unknown, but possibilities include Coryell City resident William Nelson Crawford, who graded the Tonk Creek Crossing, A.C. Crawford of Galveston, a director of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, or Texas Ranger George Crawford, who was stationed here. Development increased following the Civil War, and the post office opened in 1871. By the latter part of that decade, the town included several stores, a tavern, a blacksmith shop and a school with an enrollment of about 100.

In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, building north from Temple to Fort Worth, bypassed the original townsite, and residents began moving here along the new line. Crawford experienced economic growth as a result, and there were soon four churches, a cotton gin and a grain mill. Incorporated in 1897, the town remained an important agricultural center throughout the twentieth century, at times boasting more than 700 residents, two banks and dozens of local businesses.

In July 1999, Texas Governor George W. Bush and his family bought the former Englebrecht Ranch (Prairie Chapel Ranch) west of town. His election as President of the United States in 2000 turned the ranch into the "Western White House," the site of gatherings for U.S. officials and foreign heads of state. Crawford gained international media attention and served as the official voting place for President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

Named for David Crockett (1786-1836), the colorful Tennessee pioneer and Congressman who rallied to cause of Texas in her War for Independence. Late in 1835, Crockett traveled by riverboat, horseback, and on foot, entering Texas along the Red River (NE of here). Camping at a site half a mile northeast of this park, he found wild bees and honey in hollow trees. In letters to family and friends, Crockett called the campsite a "honey grove." It is said he told his friends he would settle here later, but in a few weeks he died in cause of freedom at the Alamo.

One of Crockett's old friends, Tennessee surveyor Samuel A. Erwin (1786-1854), became the first settler here (1839) and first postmaster (1846). Benjamin S. Walcott, arriving in 1848, added land of his own to his wife's legacy from James Gilmer. With Erwin as co-founder, he platted town of Honey Grove on the Gilmer grant. He also erected first stone building.

By 1885, Honey Grove had many businesses, including a weekly newspaper, "The Independent." Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad reached here in 1887. A peak of 4,000 inhabitants was attained in 1890. Situated on land bought from W.J. Erwin (1919) this park provides recreation for a dynamic community.

This burial ground originally served the early settlers of the Deer Creek area who began moving here about 1848. The earliest marked grave is that of Thomas D. Stephenson (1848-57), the eight-year-old son of I.N. Stephenson (d.1883) who came to Tarrant County in the 1850s. The property was deeded for use as a public burial site in 1879 by Sarah J. "Sallie" Dunn. Originally known as Deer Creek Cemetery, the name was changed about 1880, shortly after the settlement of Crowley was organized along the route of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad.