Editing McCulloch County, Texas (section)

==History==
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From 5000 BC to 1500 AD, the early Native American inhabitants included [[Tonkawa]], [[Lipan Apache people|Lipan Apache]], [[Comanche]], and [[Tawakoni]].<ref name="McCulloch County">{{cite web|last=Smyrl|first=Vivian Elizabeth|title=McCulloch County|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcm07|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>  The 1788 José Mares expedition passed through the area while travelling from [[San Antonio]] to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Bolton|first=Herbert Eugene|title=Texas in the middle eighteenth century: Studies in Spanish colonial history and administration|year=1915|publisher=University of Michigan Library|page=130}}</ref>

On November 21, 1831, in the [[Brady, Texas|Brady]] vicinity, [[James Bowie]], [[Rezin Bowie|Rezin P. Bowie]], David Buchanan, Cephas D. Hamm, Matthew Doyle, Jesse Wallace, Thomas McCaslin, Robert Armstrong, and James Coryell with two servants, Charles and Gonzales, held at bay for a day and a night 164 [[Caddo]] and Lipans. After 80 warriors had been killed, the Indians withdrew.<ref>{{cite web|title=Site of Indian Battle - Brady vicinity, McCulloch County, Texas|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307004815&search_term=Site+of+Indian+Battle+|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=December 1, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162045/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307004815&search_term=Site+of+Indian+Battle+|archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref> [[Fort McKavett State Historic Site|Camp San Saba]] was established in 1852 to protect settlers from Indians.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fort McKavett|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/Fort-McKavett-Texas.htm|work=Texas Escapes|publisher=Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>
The Sixth Texas Legislature in 1856 formed McCulloch County from [[Bexar County, Texas|Bexar County]], and named it for [[Benjamin McCulloch]].<ref name="McCulloch County"/> The Voca waterwheel mill was built in 1876.<ref>{{cite web|title=Voca Waterwheel Mill|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307005658|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=December 1, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162135/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307005658|archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref>

The ''Brady Sentinel'' was established by D.F. Hayes in 1880 as the county's first newspaper. Later, it was absorbed by the ''Heart o’ Texas News'' run by R.B. Boyle.<ref name="McCulloch County"/>
During 1886–1912, the [[Swedes|Swedish]] colonies of East Sweden,<ref>{{cite web|title=East Sweden|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/East-Sweden-Texas.htm|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref> West Sweden<ref>{{cite web|title=West Sweden|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/West-Sweden-Texas.htm|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref> and [[Melvin, Texas|Melvin]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Melvin|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/Melvin-Texas.htm|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref> were established. From 1897 to 1910, the ''Brady Enterprise'' or ''McCulloch County Enterprise'' was published.<ref name="McCulloch County"/>
In 1899, the McCulloch County sandstone courthouse built in the [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]] style by architects Martin and Moodie.<ref>{{cite web|title=McCulloch County Courthouse|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/BradyTexas/Brady-Texas-McCulloch-County-Courthouse.htm|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>
In the last year of the 19th century, the ''Milburn Messenger'' was edited by T.F. Harwell. [[Cotton]] became a major county crop.<ref name="McCulloch County"/> Three years later, the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway came to McCulloch County.<ref name="McCulloch County"/>
W.D. Currie published the ''Mercury Mascot'' from 1904 to 1907.<ref name="McCulloch County"/> In 1906–1910, the ''McCulloch County Star'' was published.<ref name="McCulloch County"/> In 1909, the ''Brady Standard'', edited by F.W. Schwenker, began publication, and absorbed the ''McCulloch County Star'' and the ''Brady Enterprise'' in 1910.<ref name="McCulloch County"/> The ''Rochelle Record'' was started by W.D. Cowan in 1909.<ref name="McCulloch County"/> The ''Melvin Rustler'' began publication in 1915.<ref name="McCulloch County"/> in 1917, [[J. Marvin Hunter]] founded the ''Melvin Enterprise''.<ref name="McCulloch County"/>

During the 1920s, McCulloch County billed itself as "the Turkey Center of the Universe", and held an annual [[Turkey Trot]].<ref name="McCulloch County"/>
<!-- *1923 - Hunter also founded the ''Frontier Times'' in Melvin, and later moved it to [[Bandera, Texas|Bandera]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About J. Marvin Hunter and Hunter's FRONTIER TIMES Magazine|url=http://www.frontiertimesmagazine.com/About.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618095135/http://www.frontiertimesmagazine.com/About.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 18, 2006|publisher=Frontier Times|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>
 *1923 - [[Dan Taylor (rodeo)|Dan Collins Taylor]], a rodeo performer and promoter was born in Doole in McCulloch County. He died there in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/07/19/news/20local_07-19-11.txt|title=Becky Orr, "Cowboy was boss of Chute 9 at CFD for 49 years"|publisher=wyomingnews.com|access-date=August 4, 2011}}</ref>-->

[[Tenant farmer|Tenant farming]] in the county peaked at 60% in the 1930s.<ref name="McCulloch County"/>

The [[Colorado River (Texas)|Colorado River]] flooded in 1932, cresting at {{convert|62.2|ft}}.<ref name="McCulloch County"/> In 1938, [[Brady Creek (San Saba River)|Brady Creek]] flooded, cresting at {{convert|29.1|ft}}. The [[San Saba River]] flooded, cresting at {{convert|39.8|ft}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burnett|first=Jonathan|title=Flash Floods in Texas |year=2008|publisher=TAMU Press|isbn=978-1-58544-590-5|pages=111–128}}</ref>

[[Curtis Field]], named for Brady Mayor Harry L. Curtis, opened as a flying school in 1941, with 80 students.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Brady Curtis Airfield|url=http://bradycurtisfield.com/about.htm|publisher=Sandhills Publishing Company |access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>   A county prisoner-of-war camp was set up in 1943; it housed members of Rommel's [[Afrika Corps]], the [[Schutzstaffel|S.S.]], and the [[Gestapo]].<ref name="McCulloch County"/>
Crockett State School took over the former POW camp in 1946, and used it as a training school for delinquent black girls.<ref name="crockettstateschool">{{cite web|last=Smyrl|first=Vivian Elizabeth|title=Crockett State School|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jjc01|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>

From 1954 to 1960, 48 restraining structures were installed in the county to control flooding.<ref name="McCulloch County"/>   [[Brady Creek Reservoir]] was constructed to partially control flooding on Brady Creek in 1963.<ref>{{cite web|last=Breeding|first=Seth D|title=Brady Reservoir|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rob16|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref> A tourist information marker placed in the county, declaring the geographical center of Texas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geographic Center of Texas - Brady vicinity, McCulloch County, Texas|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307002146|work=Texas State Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=December 1, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718162159/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5307002146|archive-date=July 18, 2011}}</ref>