Editing Kimble County, Texas (section)

===Growth era===
[[Image:Fleming monument, Junction, TX IMG 4335.JPG|thumb|[[Obelisk]] monument to Burt M. Fleming (1894-1918), cited for bravery in [[World War I]], is located on the lawn of the Kimble County courthouse.]]

The population of Kimble County rose from 72 in 1870 to 1,343 in 1880. In 1878, a courthouse was erected in Junction City. The structure was destroyed, along with all of the county records, in an 1884 fire. The replacement, a two-story stone building, was partially destroyed by fire in 1888, but was repaired and remained in operation until the present courthouse was constructed in 1929.<ref name="Junction, TX">{{cite web | url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hgj05 | title = Junction, Texas |   publisher = [[The Handbook of Texas]] online | access-date = June 17, 2009}}</ref> The census of 1890 recorded 2,243 people and 279 farms and ranches in the county. The raising of cattle and sheep soon dominated the economy. In 1894, the county seat of Junction City became known simply as Junction.

Kimble County continued to grow during the early 20th century. The population in 1900 was 2,503. The 20th century brought many amenities to the county that were previously unavailable. Four Mile Dam was completed in 1904.<ref name="Junction, TX"/> The first telephone system came to Junction in 1905, and the first banks opened a year later. Electric lights came to Junction in 1917 and gas stations were introduced soon after.

A county-wide bond election to fund the construction of gravel and paved roads was approved in 1919. By 1922, State Highway 27 was a working unpaved road. It ran through Junction, southeast to [[Kerrville, Texas|Kerrville]], and west to [[Sonora, Texas|Sonora]]. State Highways 4 and 29 were also operational. State Highway 29 extended through the communities of London and Telegraph by 1930. Most Kimble County roads had been paved by the late 1940s. Old Highways 4 and 27 became [[U.S. Route 83|U.S. Highway 83]], Highway 27 became [[U.S. Route 290|U.S. Highway 290]], and Highway 29 became [[U.S. Route 377|U.S. Highway 377]].<ref name="Texas Handbook"/>

Junction was officially incorporated in 1927.<ref name="Junction, TX"/> In the late 1920s, Kimble County had become one of the state's leaders in the wool and mohair industry. Various aspects of agricultural production continued to dominate the local economy, however.

Unemployment increased in the county during the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], but the population rose throughout the 1930s and stood at 5,064 by the 1940 census. Electricity was introduced to rural Kimble County in April 1945. In the mid-1940s, the economy diversified as a small amount of oil production was introduced, along with the limited production of sand, gravel, and gas.