Editing De Leon, Texas (section)

===Arrival of the train line===
[[File:Former Train Station in De Leon Texas 2022.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Former train station in De Leon]]
The population of De Leon remained under 1,000 until 1910, when a branch of the Texas Central line, then leased by the Katy Railroad, was constructed from De Leon to [[Rising Star, Texas|Rising Star]] and [[Cross Plains, Texas|Cross Plains]]. It was the only town in Comanche County with railroad service and a station.<ref name="Lightfoot">{{cite journal |title=The Negro Exodus from Comanche County, Texas |first=Billy Bob |last=Lightfoot |journal=[[The Southwestern Historical Quarterly]] |volume=56 |number=3 |date=Jan 1953 |pages=407–416 |jstor=30237625|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30237625}}</ref>{{rp|415}} De Leon then became the center point for the Katy between Waco, [[Albany, Texas|Albany]], and Cross Plains, thereby relocating numerous railroad crew members and their families to the city. The census of 1910 showed 1,015 citizens. De Leon continues to retain its rail service and the former Texas Central Katy line from [[Dublin, Texas|Dublin]] to [[Gorman, Texas|Gorman]], nicknamed the "Peanut Line", is currently operated by the [[Fort Worth and Western Railroad]].

On Labor Day night 1918, oil was discovered north of De Leon just inside the Comanche County line near Desdemona.  During the next two years, nearly 1000 wells were drilled in the area, and the population of De Leon rose to an estimate of more than 5,000 people.  The boom was short-lived, though, and by the time the actual was census taken in 1920, the population was only 3,302.  Since [[World War II]], De Leon's population has stabilized at approximately 2,500.

Ranching dominated Comanche County until the coming of the [[Texas Central]] in 1881.  Cotton soon became the primary crop, as immigrants from the Southern states, and in particular the area around [[Oxford, Mississippi|Oxford]] and [[Pontotoc, Mississippi]], came to the De Leon vicinity, starting in 1890.  When the [[boll weevil]] began to make inroads in the area after 1910, farmers just west of town began to plant the small Spanish peanut.  That quickly became the predominant crop, and in 1913, the De Leon Peanut Company was organized.  Over time, Comanche County became the leading peanut-producing county in the U.S. Coupled with production around the neighboring community of [[Gorman, Texas|Gorman]] in [[Eastland County]], most of the peanuts went into candy, particularly [[Curtis Candies]]' [[Baby Ruth]] and [[Butterfinger]] candy bars. [[Nabisco]] eventually purchased the De Leon Peanut Company.  In the 21st century, peanut production has dropped dramatically.

De Leon has one of the oldest festivals in Texas, the De Leon Peach and Melon Festival, which had its beginnings in 1914. Celebrated during the first full week in August, it draws thousands to its numerous events, including a carnival, tractor pulls, car show, and a free cold watermelon slicing.  The current watermelon seed-spitting distance record, as recognized by the ''Guinness Book of World Records'', of 75 feet 2 inches, was set at the festival on August 12, 1995, by Jason Schayot, then of Georgetown, Texas. Schayot is a descendant of two long-time De Leon families.

Among De Leon's unique events is the only paid appearance by [[Elvis Presley]] in which he sang only [[gospel music]]. It took place at Hodges Park on July 4, 1955, when he followed his friends, the Blackwood Brothers, at the Battle of Songs show. The Blackwoods had lost family members in a plane crash in Alabama the previous year, just prior to a scheduled appearance in De Leon, and had remembered them in a performance immediately preceding Elvis' performance.  Elvis followed with more gospel music. It was one of three appearances Elvis made that day for promoter W.B. Nowlin, then mayor of De Leon.  The other two were in [[Brownwood, Texas|Brownwood]] and [[Stephenville, Texas|Stephenville]].{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

Included among De Leon's most distinguished citizens are former Texas Speaker of the House and later [[Lieutenant Governor of Texas|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Ben Barnes (Texas politician)|Ben Barnes]], a protégé of [[John B. Connally]] and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], and the 1955 [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner William White, whose ''The Taft Story'' focuses upon [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential contender [[Robert A. Taft]]. Winston Lee Moore, composer and singer of "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes", was reared just north of De Leon.  He is better known under his stage name, [[Slim Willet]]. Former State Representative [[Sid Miller (politician)|Sid Miller]] was born in De Leon in 1955; he was a candidate for [[Texas Agriculture Commissioner]] in the Republican primary election scheduled for March 4, 2014.

Buried in the De Leon Cemetery is Cyrus Campbell, an early resident, who was the [[blacksmith]] who made the leg irons placed on Mexican General [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] following his capture at the [[Battle of San Jacinto]]. According to Campbell's family tradition, his three brothers and he were the men who actually captured Lopez de Santa Anna the day following the battle.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

The town motto, "Busiest Town, Friendliest People", is a reminder of the slower-paced lifestyle still available in a few communities in this country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to De Leon, Texas|url=http://www.deleontxchamber.com/|website=De Leon Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture|accessdate=February 5, 2017|archive-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206104933/http://www.deleontxchamber.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>