Editing Kimble County, Texas (section)

===Settlement and formation===
The earliest settlers began arriving in the late 1850s. One of the first was Raleigh Gentry, who settled along Bear Creek around 1857.<ref name="Kimble Birth">{{cite web | url = http://www.junctiontexas.net/birthofkimble.html | title = The Birth of Kimble County |   publisher = Wyatt, Frederica | access-date = June 17, 2009}}</ref> The Gentry family consisted of Raleigh, his wife, and their several adult sons. Another early settler was James Bradbury Sr., who moved to the area from [[Williamson County, Texas|Williamson County]] and chose a site along the banks of the South Llano River.<ref name="Kimble Chamber"/> Others settled in the Big and Little Saline valleys.<ref name="Texas Handbook"/> Two of the Gentry's sons were later killed, one by Indians and the other during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Bradbury was also killed by Indians during what was known as the Battle of Bradbury Hills.<ref name="Kimble Chamber">{{cite web | url = http://www.junctiontexas.net/inthebeginning.html | title = In the Beginning... |  work = Indian Problems Plague Pioneers in Early Days | publisher = Wyatt, Frederica | access-date = June 17, 2009}}</ref>

The Texas Legislature enacted legislation on January 22, 1858, creating Kimble County from what was previously part of [[Bexar County, Texas#History|Bexar County]].<ref name="Kimble Birth"/> The new county was named for Lieutenant [[George C. Kimble]]<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n174 175]}}</ref> (sometimes spelled Kimbell), who died during the [[Battle of the Alamo]]. From 1858 to 1875, Kimble County was attached to [[Gillespie County, Texas|Gillespie County]] for judicial purposes.<ref name="Kimble Birth"/>

Meanwhile, several settlements sprang up along the Johnson Fork of the Llano River, near Copperas Creek, and in the valleys of the [[James River (Texas)|James River]] after the Civil War. Throughout the 1870s, the lightly populated settlements of Kimble County faced raids by Comanches, as well as Lipans and [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoos]], who used [[Mexico]] as their base. All raids ceased after 1878. The county also became a popular haven for outlaws who used the area's hilly terrain and dense cedar breaks as hideouts.

On September 6, 1875, Kimble County was separated from Gillespie County and attached to [[Menard County, Texas|Menard County]] for judicial purposes.<ref name="Texas Handbook"/>