Editing Lampasas County, Texas (section)

==History==

[[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous peoples]] were the first inhabitants of the area. Later known tribes in the area included [[Tonkawa]], [[Lipan Apache people|Lipan Apache]] and [[Comanche]].<ref name="Lampasas County">{{cite web|last=Rhoades|first=Alice J|title=Lampasas County|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcl03|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref> The Aguayo expedition is said to have passed through the county in 1721.<ref>{{cite book|last=Greene|first=A C|title=Sketches from the Five States of Texas|year=1998|publisher=TAMU Press|isbn=978-0-89096-853-6|page=18}}</ref>
In 1756 a presidio was established by Don Pedro de Terreros with the assistance of elements of the Spanish Army, at the confluence of Lucy Creek and Arroya Cavalto. The effort was abandoned not long after, but the site remained as a base of operations by Thomas Isaac Cox, a member of Terreros' original expedition, for the purpose of obtaining hundreds of Texas mustangs for use by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://upload.latest.facebook.com/LampasasHeritageFoundation/posts/2571266179817611 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/2360970920847139/2571266179817611 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |url-access=limited|title=Log into Facebook}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1853 Moses Hughes and his invalid wife, Hannah (Berry), became the first permanent settlers, seeking to take advantage of the medicinal springs.<ref name="Lampasas County, TX">{{cite book|last=Lampasas County Museum Foundation|title=Lampasas County, TX|year=2009|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-5881-3|pages=7–8}}</ref> John Patterson was the first man to cultivate land in the county, in 1854.<ref>{{cite web|title=John Patterson|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281002797|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=November 29, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162425/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281002797|archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref> In 1855 Elizabeth and George W. Scott laid out the town of Burleson, named for her father. The town was renamed [[Lampasas, Texas|Lampasas]], when it became the county seat;<ref name="Lampasas County"/> the Sixth Texas Legislature formed Lampasas County, named after the [[Lampasas River]], from parts of [[Travis County, Texas|Travis]], [[Bell County, Texas|Bell]], and [[Coryell County, Texas|Coryell]] Counties, in 1856.<ref name="Lampasas County, TX"/> In 1858 The northeastern corner of Lampasas County became part of [[Hamilton County, Texas|Hamilton County]].<ref name="Lampasas County"/> In 1887 [[Mills County, Texas|Mills County]] received northern and northwestern sections of Lampasas County.<ref name="Lampasas County"/>

The Lampasas Guards were organized to ward off Indian attacks in 1859.<ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Daniel|title=Ten Deadly Texans |year=2009|publisher=Pelican Publishing|isbn=978-1-58980-599-6|author2=Yadon, Lawrence |page=105}}</ref> Indian raids increased in 1861, as able-bodied men were off fighting in the war.<ref name="Lampasas County, TX"/>

In 1872 Townsen's Mill was built by Perry and Jasper Townsen. This steam mill cut "rawhide" lumber and ground wheat and corn.<ref>{{cite web|title=Towsen's Mill|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281005540|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=November 29, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162438/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281005540|archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref> Henry A. Chadwick and son Milam built a sawmill, flour mill and cotton gin in 1874.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chadwick's Mill|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281000797|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=November 29, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162456/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281000797|archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref>
In 1875 the [[Farmers' Alliance]] was born in Lampasas in reaction against the cattle rustling and illegal land dealings prevalent in the county.<ref name="Lampasas County"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Pleasant Valley Farmers' Alliance No. 1|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281004055|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=November 29, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314205038/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281004055|archive-date=March 14, 2012}}</ref>
1877 saw the gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281012015|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=November 29, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162517/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5281012015|archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref>

In 1882 The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway extended its line west from Belton to Lampasas.<ref name="Lampasas County, TX"/> The Texas Power and Light Company arrived in Lampasas County in the 1920s,<ref name="Lampasas County"/> and in 1934 the [[Lower Colorado River Authority]] brought electricity to the county.<ref name="Lampasas County"/> Lone Star Gas established services in the county in 1949.<ref name="Lampasas County"/>

During [[World War II]] in 1942, [[Fort Hood]] opened as a military training base. Hancock Park in Lampasas was temporarily turned over to the troops as a recreational area.<ref name="Lampasas County, TX"/>