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History in
a Pecan Shell
A timeline
of significant facts in Crawford's history:
1850s: Area is first settled
1867: The Brownwood
stage line had a horse-changing station located at an inn in Crawford.
1871: The post office was granted
1881: The Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway bypassed Crawford by two
miles.
1890: Crawford had steam flour and corn mills, two general stores,
three groceries, a cotton gin, four churches, and 400 residents; cotton,
wheat, hides, and corn were the principal shipments from the area.
1897: Crawford decides to incorporate
1880s and 1890s: The town had a series of newspapers.
1901: First private bank opens
1910: Population reaches 600 persons - bank is reorganized as First
National Bank of Crawford
1928: The Crawford Sun is published until it merges with The McGregor
Mirror in 1969.
The town has escaped the fires and tornadoes that have plagued other
small towns.
Waco being as large as it
is, doesn't leave a lot of room for small towns in McLennan
County. Crawford has been a trade center for western McLennan
County for years - allowing its economy to remain relatively stable.
The population fell to 425 in the 1950s, but commuting workers in
the 1980s helped boost the population to its present 717. |
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Crawford Water
tower
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey |
Historical
Marker (on FM 185):
Crawford
Crawford 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.
(2004)
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Entrance to
Bush Ranch
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey |
Crawford
Middle School
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey |
1940s McLennan
County map showing Crawford W of Waco
From Texas state map #4335
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
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