The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 68, July 1964 - April, 1965 Page: 394
574 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
area is rich in ranch land, which is balanced with cotton and
grain raising. It is predominately an agricultural region, but with
a military tradition. Fort Gates was established in 1849 as a por-
tion of a line of forts to protect the western frontier from Indian
raids. Even though it was abandoned in 1852, the old fort left
a tradition which has been important in the county's heritage.
When World War II hit the United States almost a century later,
approximately one-fourth of the county was taken into the Fort
Hood reservation, an action which called for much adjustment
on the part of the citizens, but also brought some financial pros-
perity.
Mrs. Mears begins her Scrapbook with a sketch of the history
of Coryell County, treating such topics as the Mexican period,
Indian depredations, county organization, the Civil War, the
period of lawlessness, railroad development, the "Gay Nineties,"
"9goo to 192o," the depression, and World War II. This "brief"
chapter gives a "birds-eye view" of the county. The longest
chapter in the book, "The Development of the County," includes
accounts of early settlers, courthouse construction and operation,
hospitals, "odd happenings," banks, agriculture, population esti-
mates, and the Gatesville State Training School. Mostly these are
a series of short sketches written with the insight of a native. The
story of "Old Gander," the horse which was stolen several times
by Indians but always returned home, is somewhat reminiscent
of "Old Sancho" in J. Frank Dobie's The Longhorns. One is in-
terested to find that an alligator, eleven feet in length, was once
killed in the Leon River, and that Dr. J. A. Mudd, a brother of
the renowned Dr. Mudd who treated John Wilkes Booth after
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, once lived in Coryell Coun-
ty. Such stories as these are given space alongside the detailed
lists of county officers and accounts of religious development in
the county.
Later chapters deal with Gatesville, Indian depredations, edu-
cation, social life, and "Coryell County in Uniform." A chapter
entitled "Leaves from the Past" tells of Masonic Lodge activities
and relates excerpts from county newspapers such as the price of
groceries in 1885 and mining activities at the Pancake Mines.
The concluding chapter gives humorous anecdotes and is chock
full of folklore.394
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 68, July 1964 - April, 1965, periodical, 1965; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101198/m1/465/?rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.