Menard County, in Cen- tral Texas, comprises 902 square miles of rolling terrain on the Edwards Plateau. Th e county lies entirely within the Colorado River basin. Central Texas, including what is now Menard County, has sup- ported human habitation for sev- eral thousand years. Archeological evidence suggests that hunting- and-gathering peoples established themselves in the area as early as 10,000 years ago.

Th e Spanish began explor- ing the San Saba valley in 1753 and 1754. In April 1757, Father Alonso Giraldo de Terreros founded Santa Cruz de San Sabá Mis- sion, hoping to Christianize the Apache Indians. Th ough San Luis de las Amarillas Presidio, under the command of Diego ortiz Par- rilla, was established nearby to provide protection for the mission, in March 1758 the Comanche Indians and their allies burned the mission to the ground. In 1761, Felipe de Rábago y Terán, who re- placed ortiz Parrilla, improved the presidio by replacing wooden structures with stone ones. Th e presidio was reoccupied for a short time in early 1770, but the Spanish soon abandoned it for good after 1770.

James and Rezin Bowie traveled to the San Saba valley in the early 1830s to look for a silver mine that the Spanish had believed to be in the area. Th ey were unsuccessful, but the legend of the Lost Bowie Mine, also known as the Lost San Saba Mine or the Los Almagres Mine, fed the imagination of treasure-seekers for the next 150 years.

In 1852, in order to protect settlers from Indian attacks, the united States War Department established Camp San Saba, later known as Fort McKavett, near the head of the San Saba River. Menard County was formed from Bexar County by the state leg- islature in 1858 and named for Michel Branamour Menard, the founder of Galveston. Menardville and Camp San Saba attracted settlers who came west, but with the withdrawal of troops from Camp San Saba in 1859, the threat of Indians attacks delayed new settlement and caused many established residents to leave. Th e remaining residents attempted to organize the county govern- ment in 1866, but when the attempt failed the legislature placed Menard County under the jurisdiction of Mason County. When Fort McKavett was opened in 1868, people again moved into the area. Menard County residents fi nally elected their own offi cials in 1871.

Because the county was organized so late, no record shows how Menard residents voted on secession.

In 1870, Menard County had a popula- tion of 667, of whom 295 were white and 372 were black. Th e high percentage of black resi- dents was probably due to the presence of the “buff alo soldiers” at Fort McKavett. By 1880 the county’s population had risen to 1,239, but the number of black residents had fallen to 37. Th e popula- tion fell when Fort McKavett was closed in 1883, but by 1890 it had almost re- covered, with 1,215 residents reported.

In 1910 Menardville residents off ered the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railroad Company several incentives to extend its track to their town: a right-of-way, the land for stock pens and depot, and $10,000 to build the depot. Th e track was completed, and in February 1911 the fi rst train arrived. Th e railroad made outside markets easier to reach, and the town of Menard (as it was now called) boomed; by 1914 its reported population was 1,000. An- other town, Callan, began as a result of the railroad’s coming to Menard County; it was successful for a few years, but declined as other transportation methods improved.

By virtue of its rural environment and relatively small popula- tion, Menard County escaped many of the hardships suff ered by more urban areas during the Great Depression of the 1930s; nev- ertheless, several relief programs were enacted.

oil and gas production in Menard County began in the 1940s, although wildcatters had been drilling exploratory wells since 1919. Th e fi rst attempted oil well, drilled in 1919, was dry. Explo- ration continued throughout the 1940s and 1950s, but not until the 1960s were most of the important deposits in the county dis- covered. In the 1980s about 94 percent of the land in the county was in farms and ranches, but only about 2 percent of this was under cultivation. About 96 percent of agricultural receipts came from livestock and livestock products. Th e county had no signifi - cant manufacturing industries but received a considerable income from tourists, who were attracted by the hunting and fi shing op- portunities in the area and by the ruins of the Spanish presidio and Fort McKavett.

Menard County reached its highest population in 1940, with 4,521 residents reported.

(The information above is excerpted from the Handbook of Texas, an encyclopedia published by the Texas State Historical Association. The Handbook can be accessed on-line at http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/ online/index.new.html. Copies of the two-volume set may be obtained by contacting the history organization at 512-232-1513.)