|
|
DE LEON, TEXASComanche County,
North Central Texas
Hwy 6, Hwy 16
12 miles W of Dublin
24 miles SW of Stephenville
30 miles SE of Eastland
15 miles N of Comanche
Population 2,433 (2000) 2,190 (1990)
|
Downtown De
Leon
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2005 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
De Leon was born when The Texas Central Railroad sold lots off the
bed of a flatcar on July 7, 1881. The name is attributed to Alonso
De Leon, a Spanish explorer who also lent his name to the nearby Leon
River.
The post office was opened within the year and by 1882, the town had
a newspaper and a doctor. Like most of Texas, cotton was the major
cash crop until the 1906 infestation of the boll weevil decimated
the crop. Peanuts were the replacement crop and increased technology
and irrigation insured its continuation. It is the primary regional
crop to the present.
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Eastland
Hotels
|
De
Leon's Wall of Recall
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2005 |
De Leon mural
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2005 |
|
|
Water
tower
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2005 |
| |
|
|
