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JOSHUA,
TEXAS
Johnson County,
North Central Texas
Highway 174 and FM 917
7 miles SW of Burleson
21 miles S of Fort Worth
8 miles N of Cleburne
Population
4,528 (2000)
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History
in a Pecan Shell
The area's first community was Caddo Grove, two miles west of present
day Joshua. It was a self-sufficient town until the railroad (Gulf,
Colorado and Santa Fe ) laid tracks between Cleburne and Fort Worth.
Joshua (named after the biblical character) was platted in 1880, and
organized with the arrival of the railroad in 1881. The first store
(containing the post office) opened the following year. Caddo Grove's
post office closed soon after.
By 1890 Joshua was thriving with a respectable 300 citizens, two steam
mills which doubled as cottin gins, a hotel, and a newspaper. A one-room
school opened in 1890, and in 1899 a larger school was built which
became the high school in1917.
The town suffered fires in 1900 and 1912, but still managed to thrive.
In 1906 a public water system was installed and gardens, and orchards
sprang up around the community. The Fort Worth South Traction Line
(interurban service) connected Cleburne with Fort Worth in 1912 and
Joshua became a stop.
Joshua had 824 people in 1914, declining to 550 during the 1950s.
The ease in commuting to Fort Worth has increased Johua's population
to nearly 4,000 by 1990.
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