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Vernon
History in a Pecan Shell
The name Vernon
was their second choice after the Post Office refused the requested Eagle Flat.
(For more on naming of Vernon, see Forum below.)
The county's name, however has a more hair-raising story attached to it:
Josiah Wilbarger was an early
settler who was scalped by Comanches down around Austin,
where a creek
under Highway 71 still bears his name.
Josiah had the presence of mind
to cover the wound with a sock (the only clothing the Comanches left him) before
slipping into unconsciousness. He crawled for two days and was mistaken for a
Comanche and nearly killed by rescuers. He lived for many years after the incident,
although his skull decayed and his brain was eventually exposed, resulting in
coma and eventual death.Vernon lent its name to a struggling opera singer who
combined it with Dalhart and became Vernon Dalhart. Armed with this impressive
name, he sold hundreds of thousands of early "western" records.
Fargo
and Doan's Crossing
Vernon's 19th
Century history is closely bound to the Red River crossing some 15 miles
north. Corwin Doan operated a store at this point and supplied cowboys
with all they needed to survive the trip. This is where an estimated six million
Longhorn cattle crossed on their way to the railheads in Dodge City, Kansas.
The fencing of the west and the invention of barbed
wire put an end to the cattle drives that brought Texas back from the economic
collapse brought upon by the Civil War.
Ironically Vernon had often played
host to The International Barbed Wire and Antique Show.
Where
to Stay
Vernon
Hotels |
Vernon Landmarks
/ Attractions
Touring
Vernon |
Vernon
ChroniclesCarnegie
Library (sort of)
Just past Main St on the Northside of Wilbarger is the City-County
Library. Although the 1915 structure was razed in the late 1970s, they continue
to use the name of the original library's benefactor. The cost of the original
building according to Carnegie Libraries Across America was $12,500. It
might've been 12,501. Sullivan
Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" column)
Ex-Ranger W.S.J. Sullivan, and the
hanging of condemned preacher Morrison, the last man ever legally hanged in Wilbarger
County.
Entertaining
the Rotary Club in Mount Vernon
by Robert Cowser Roy
Orbison was
born in April
23, 1936 in Vernon
Where to Stay
Vernon
Hotels |
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Population 12,001
(1990)
We checked four references for Vernon's population and they all say 12,001. We
asked eight different Vernonians if they happened to know whom the last
person counted was, and seven of the eight said it was they.
The eighth
person told us that the citizens of Vernon were called Vernonites, and
that the twelve thousand and first inhabitant was probably a rare example of Census
Bureau humor. |
Vernon
Tourist Information
Vernon
Chamber of Commerce
On the NE side of the square on Main Street (Hwy 283).
1-800-687-3137 or 940-552-2564.
Website: www.vernontx.com
Where
to Stay
Vernon
Hotels |
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Vernon
Forum - Naming of Vernon
Subject: Name of Vernon, Texas
There is no historical proof of the Mt.
Vernon theory as to the reason for Vernon's name. I agree completely with Joyce
Ashley. And I was born and raised in Vernon. - Lee Probst, May 27, 2008
No
Vernonites in Vernon
Dear TE, Just a couple of comments on your Vernon
information. There are several incorrect statements. For instance, Carnegie City-County
Library still exists. It simply moved to a new and more modern location at 2810
Wilbarger Street before the old building on Cumberland Street was torn down.
Vernon was not necessarily named for Mount Vernon, although that is
certainly one theory. However, according to the Wilbarger County history book
(page 578), "After the name Eagle Flat was not accepted by the postal authorities
due to other offices with "Eagle" in the name, the name Vernon was chosen but
history has not recorded a substantiated reason for the selection." The book goes
on to say that another (and more colorful) version of the origin of the name was
that it was named after Vernon Brown, a whisky drummer, the first to call on the
new townsite, promised free samples of his wares if the then-new town was named
after him. Actually, no one knows for sure how the town got its name.
Also, I have lived in Vernon for 57 years now and have NEVER heard anyone called
a "Vernonite."... - Joyce Ashley, Vernon, Texas, January 7, 2007
Subject: Kramer's
studio
I found numerous old, old photos left by my Grandmother, they were
developed at Kramer Studio in Vernon, Texas. Can you tell me if, by some miracle,
it's still in business or what may have happened to it? Thanks, Margie Foster,
OKC, January 05, 2006
Where
to Stay
Vernon
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