|
Bee Cave, Texas
By Clint
Skinner
Located in West Central Travis
County, the town of Bee Cave lies fourteen miles west of Austin
near the intersection of State Highway 71 and Farm Roads 620 and 2244.
Dietrich Bohls moved to this area during the 1850s, wanting to escape
from the big city of Austin.
It had reached a population of 900 and that amount of growth was too
much for Bohls. He settled at the place where Barton Creek met with
Little Barton Creek.
This region was a wilderness and had very few settlers because Indians
roamed the land. The settlers eventually got together and called the
area Bee Cave. The town earned its name because large colonies of
Mexican honey bees inhabited a nearby cave and swarmed along the banks
of the two creeks.
In 1870, a post office opened under the management of Martin V. Lackey.
Will Johnson operated a trading post at Bee Cave a year later. By
the mid-1880s, the town had added a school, church, gristmill, cotton
gin, and general store.
The population reached 54 during 1914. Despite the growing population,
the post office was closed down, forcing the citizens to go to Cedar
Valley for their mail. The 1940s brought the consolidation of the
Bee Cave School with the Teck Common School District. This changed
in 1951 when it joined the Dripping Springs School District. The population
fluctuated from the 1940s to the 1980s, but it always stayed around
50.
Bee Cave was incorporated in 1987. Three years later, the town's population
reached the triple digits with 241 citizens. This rose to an impressive
656 at the turn of the century. By that time, Bee Cave had parks,
a library, and a recreational center added. The year of 2010 saw the
population massively increase to 3,925. During February 2013, Bee
Cave changed from an Alderman-mayor government to a city council-mayor
government. The latest development came in 2020 when the total population
approached 9,144.
Bibliography
Beecavetexas.com
Tshaonline.org
Wikipedia.org |
The Armadillo
and the West Pole
by Clint
Skinner
Santa
Claus lives at the North Pole, penguins roam the South Pole, and Texans
inhabit the West Pole. Yes, there is a West Pole. That's what the
80th Texas Legislature concluded on May 28, 2007. Despite the lack
of scientific evidence, House Resolution 2933 recognized Bee Cave,
Texas as the official location of the West Pole. It's exact spot near
the 98th Meridian was 38° 18.25' N and 97° 56.28 W.
The citizens of Bee Cave decided to take advantage of its new claim
to fame by hosting its first Armadillo Day on February 2, 2010. Feeling
that groundhogs like Punxsutawny Phil knew nothing about Texas weather,
the townspeople decided to rely upon an armadillo named Bee Cave Bob.
A group called The Benevolent Knights of the Raccoon was held responsible
for handling the little critter.
The members of the organization placed a miniature strip of highway
in front of Bob's burrow. After being coaxed from his home, he picked
a lane to use for travel. The one Bob chose would indicate his prediction
for an early spring or a longer winter. This tradition is now celebrated
every year as a substitution for Groundhog Day.
© Clint
Skinner December
6, 2021
Bibliography
Capital.texas.gov
Dallasnews.com - February 2010
Spectrumlocalnews.com
Wikipedia.org
|
 |
| Photo
courtesy Chandra Moira Beal |
1907 postal map
showing Beecaves in western Travis
County
From Texas state map #2090
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 vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
|
|
HOME
