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History
in a (Norwegian) Nutshell
Settlement here began in the 1840s by German immigrants.
Homesteads were scattered at first. Phillip
and Catherine Goertz along with Michael and Rebecca Wolf, donated
land for the area’s first church in the 1880s. Previously services
had been held in the Goertz home. The new structure burned in 1891
and a second church site of ten acres was donated by John and Rosina
Lehman the following year. By this time a community called Walnut
Creek was forming. Later the town took the name of the Lehman
family – one of the first to settle here. The town was also known
as Lehmanville.
The town of
Lehman was granted a post office in 1900 and operated as
such until 1903. The community was later known as Hilbigville
after businessman W. M. Hilbig, another early settler. With its
strong Catholic foundation, the community closely followed the games
of the University of Notre Dame. The popular team was coached by
Norwegian-born Knute (“Let's win one for the Gipper”) Rockne.
When Rockne died in a Kansas plane crash in 1931 (on his way to
assist in a movie about him) the country was shocked. The schoolchildren
of Hilbigville, Texas took a vote and the town was renamed.
Rockne was always underpopulated. During the 1940s it reached as
high as 280, but settled in at 150m for the 1950 census. The population
was 400 for the country’s Bicentennial and it remained there for
the 2000 census.
In 1988 Rockne became the focal point of the issuing of a Knute
Rockne commemorative postage stamp.
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Rockne, Texas
Landmarks & Attractions
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Photographer's
Note:
Off the beaten path, it was pretty quiet on a Sunday afternoon at
this little place. Being a temp of 104 I wouldn't blame anyone for
staying inside! Seems to be quite an active little town for it's size
even having a nice museum with heritage park. - William
Beauchamp, July 26, 2009 |
1860 Philip Goertz
Cabin historical marker
Photo courtesy William
Beauchamp, July 2009 |
| Texas
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