The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, June 23, 2006 Page: 30 of 110
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12
THE CLIFTON RECORD — BOSQUE COUNTY, U.S.A.
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2006
The Early History Of
Bosque County
MERIDIAN — In the middle part of
the 19th century, buffalo could be seen
grazing on the landscape. There were
great grizzlies then, the “hor-
rible bear,” roaming this wild
region like despotic mon-
archs, majestic in power, and
awesome to behold; capable
of smashing down the most
massive of buffalo bulls
with one single swipe of
their clawstudded paws.
Spritely pronghorn ante-
lope skittered freely over
the unfenced plains, and
the only human inhabitants were the In-
dians, who were yet to discover the ad-
vantage that could be gained from
sitting astride a horse.
dence from Mexico, the Texas Rangers
established Fbrt Fisher near Waco, but re-
mained there for only a year, feeling they
were too far out in Indian
country.
r In 1841, a group of men
♦known as the Santa Pe Ex-
pedition left Austin for New
Mexico, accompanied by a
newspaperman named George
Wilkins Kendall, who
chronicled the group’s crossing
of the Bosque River and two of
its branches. They entered
Bosque County near Valley Mills,
and crossed Coon Creek, Cedron
Creek, and Steele Creek, about six miles
east of the present town of Morgan
George B. Erath, an official surveyor for
mu —... . vjcwigc u. mi am, an uiuuitu surveyor ioj
The original tribes were all part of the the Republic and later State of Texas, pro
3 Finn Cfmiirv flio TAnlrOlUOO IT i mnnn in/ln/1 Hfnra Jiam ...iL ____________
Caddo group; the Tonkawas, Huecos
(Wacos), and Tehuacana (Tawakoni).
The Tonkawas, especially, were peace-
ful, and lived close by the banks of the
free running waterways, where they
fished and hunted for deer and squir-
rels. Only later would the Comanches
come to mount their raids and sweep
down from horseback on terrorized set-
tlers.
It has been suggested by at least one
source, although it is not fully docu-
mented, that Cabeza deVaca, the first
unu iciiA.i otaic ui tcAao, jjiu-
vided Meridian Creek with its name some-
time before 1837, basing his decision on the
creek’s proximity to the 98th meridian.
Later, about 1845, he surveyed much of
Bosque County.
It was not until 1850 that an organized at-
tempt at settlement was attempted in
Bosque County, when the Universal Immi-
gration Company of England broght in 30
families to land that had been purchased
on the Brazos, south of Kimbell Bend and
north of Kopperl.
They founded a town called Kent, and
> vMwviiw uv mat AliCj tuuuucu a lUWU LdlicU mini, dllQ
Spaniard to travel through Texas, may built a few log houses, thought most lived
have reached Bosque County during his in dugouts, cellars, and huts,
travels around 1530, and that Moscoso, Despite the harsh conditions they found
who followed de Vaca as an explorer, may themselves in, they preserved their English
have come as near as the Brazos Rivor in Spnsp of pivilitv anH monnnrc
- ---.. V.V. * UV.U UU M» 1 V/AU1V/1 V/l, Ilia V
have come as near as the Brazos River in
Hill County around 1540. One thing is
known. In 1721, the Marquis de San
Miguel de Aguayo, who established sev-
eral missions in Texas, led an expedi-
tion from what was then San Antonio de
Bexar to the East Texas missions near
Nacogdoches and San Augustine; and
-------------—V.UV.4 IVU UIVU l-JUC^llOll
sense of civility and manners, and set their
tables with fine crystal, silver, and linen.
But because of a misunderstanding with
their land agent, they were forced to pay
for their land twice. Even more disheart-
ening for these English pioneers was a sec-
ond land dispute that involved the Wichita
Indians. And not even the Wichitas could
, " o -----------“ ‘■“b”""1', “““ “Ui even me mcillias COUia
that in the course of this trip, he wan- compare to the danger of the savage
dered north of thn tr»ii Comanches, who left a trail of blood and
death in their nomadic path. It was not long
before the entire settlement was aban-
doned and lost, marked only by the graves
of the less fortunate.
A few other individuals and families
would find their way to Bosque County
during this time, including Ewell Everett
of Arkansas, who arrived in 1850 and
settled near what is now Valley Mills.
But it was not until about 1852 that Ole
Canuteson arrived f rom East Texas and
became enchanted by what he found that
the influx of Norwegian emmigrants
would begin, and accomplish what those
before had been unable to do.
—------------ vuiu n ip, uv. wan
dered north of the usual trail, and
camped near the junction of the Brazos
and a major tributory, which he named
Bosque, meaning “woodsey.”
It is also quite possible that Philip
Nolan, in his famous search for wild
horses lost by the Spaniards, traveled
through Bosque County, since his expe-
dition is known to have taken place in
the immediate area.
Stephen F. Austin, the “ Father of
Texas,” seemed content to leave this un-
tamed region to the Indians, and
brought his settlers to lands more south
and east. Shortly after the Battle of San
Jacinto, which won Texas its indepen-
P.O. Box 899
Meridian
John & Mary Hastings
Owners
Give
us a
call at
(254) 435-2722
(800) 23^-7613
Meridian i
Hardware
9241 State Hwy. 6, Meridian
(254) 435-2251
Serving Bosque County
7 Days A Week
Whirlpool Major Appliance Dealer
Small Engine Repairs
ECHO Power Equipment
Full Line Of Hardware
Ask the friendly folks at
Meridian Ace Hardware
Office Hours:
M-F 8-5:30
Bosque
County
Veterinary
Clinic
Mark Jackson, D.V.M.
Large & (Small Animals
Medical, (Surgical
& Dental Care
Boarding
Science Diet Food
& Nutrition Products
Call hr appointment
Hwy. 174 • Meridian
254-435-2$! 2
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Smith, W. Leon. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, June 23, 2006, newspaper, June 23, 2006; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth790015/m1/30/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.