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Erath County was marked off from Bosque and Coryell counties in 1856 and named for George B. Erath, one of the original surveyors of the area. The Western Cross Timbers, dominated by such hardwoods as post oak and a soil surface of sandy and red clay, crosses the northwestern two-thirds of the county, while the Grand Prairie, with dark limy soils originally covered with little bluestem but now dotted with live oak groves, crosses the southeastern one-third. The northern part of the county, where Cretaceous sediment has eroded, is noted for deposits of bituminous coal, fireclay, oil, and natural gas. The sand of the southern part is of glass-making quality. The animal life of Erath County includes badgers, civet cats, grey foxes, minks, wolves, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, and quail. The two major streams, the Paluxy and Bosque rivers, are tributaries of the Brazos. Transportation in Erath County is provided by Interstate Highway 20, which crosses the northwest corner, and U.S. highways 67, 281 and 377. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and the Texas Central railroads cross the central and southwestern parts of the county.   The first attempts at settlement were made in 1854 by A. H. Dobkins and Will and Tom Holland near the site of present-day Dublin. In the following year a party of thirty pioneers was brought into the area by surveyors George Erath and Neil McLennan. Included in the group were John M. Stephen, his brother William F., and a black family. The Stephens moved to the 4,409 acres of the John Blair survey, and the black family may have been left alone in the post oak grove on the Bosque River, now the site of Stephenville, to establish relations with Caddo and Anadarko Indians, who still visited the area from their new reservation in what is now Young County. In 1856 John M. Stephen offered to donate land for a courthouse and townsite if the town was named Stephenville and made the county seat. The state of Texas agreed and formed Erath County that year. Most of the early settlers were recent arrivals from southern states. Beginning in 1857, a series of incidents led to their alienation from the Caddos and Anadarkos, whom the newcomers called Comanches; but these Erath County Indians had discouraged raids by the real Comanches and campaigned against them alongside Texas Rangers. By 1860 the peaceful Caddo and Anadarko Indians were moved to Oklahoma by Robert S. Neighbors. Comanche raids continued until 1873. During the influx of settlers in the 1870s stock farming gave way to cotton farming, and cotton was the major crop from 1875 through 1915. In 1879 the Texas Central Railroad reached Dublin, and in 1889 the Fort Worth and Rio Grande was completed through Stephenville. This opened eastern markets for the county's cotton crops. The largest cotton production occurred in 1906. As early as 1890 agricultural agents warned county growers of damage to the soil from lack of diversification. But investments in ginning equipment prevented changes until 1910. Eroding land, the boll weevil, and decreasing profits motivated the farmers to find alternatives. Dairy farms, fruit orchards, nurseries, production of peanuts and feed crops, and an extensive poultry industry that lasted until 1950 were instigated. Mining and manufacturing have also played a roll in the Erath County economy. During the period from 1888 to 1921 the Texas Pacific Coal Company mined coal in the northwest corner of the county near Thurber. In 1918 the Thurber Brick Company was established in the same area to manufacture tile, sewer pipes, paving bricks, and stoneware. Small amounts of oil and natural gas were also mined. Stephenville College was established in 1893 but faced financial difficulties within two years. John Tarleton, a local rancher, bequeathed funds from the sale of lands for the continuation of the school, and in 1899 the college was renamed for him. In 1916 the school was affiliated with the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University), and the following year it was made a state college. Tarleton College began with an enrollment of 100 students and grew to 175 by 1900. In the fall of 1990 Tarleton State University enrolled 6,251 students. The first newspaper in Erath County was the Texas Pacific, published first in 1871. It later took the name Stephenville Empire and went into competition with the Stephenville Tribune, which was founded in 1890. The two newspapers merged in 1930 to become the Empire-Tribune. Other county papers have been the Dublin Enterprise, begun in 1881, which became the present Dublin Progress in 1888; the Texas Miner in Thurber; and the Duffau Progress. Two courthouses preceded the present building. The first, a wooden structure, burned in 1866, and with it burned many of the county's important records. The second, a stone building completed in 1877, needed renovation by 1891. The town of Dublin attempted to become county seat by offering to build the new courthouse, but Stephenville won the election, and architects J. Riely Gordon and D. E. Laub were hired to design the present Victorian structure. The building, started in 1891 and completed in 1893, was constructed of local white stone quarried on the Leon River and red granite brought from Pecos County. the building has a wrought-iron stairway, tessellated marble floors, and other elegant details. It was renovated in 1949. After 1910 the population declined in Erath County, dropping to 28,385 in 1920 and 20,804 in 1930. Loss of cotton production drove farmers away. Railroads converted from coal to oil in 1921 and refused to negotiate with striking workers. The coal mines at Thurber were shut down, and the brick plant followed in 1933. Small farms were consolidated, and Erath County agriculture shifted from crop raising to ranching by 1945. The fruit industry was damaged when overgrazing allowed cedar trees to invade from the hills, bringing San Jose scale to the peach and apple trees. Erath County's population rose to 18,434 in 1950 and fell to 16,236 in 1960, then grew to 18,141 by 1970 and 23,500 by 1983. In the 1970s small industries began to move in; however, 80 percent of the annual average county income of $70 million was still from dairy and beef cattle and other livestock. Erath County was the second leading county in Texas in milk production in the 1980s. Peanuts, sorghum, hay, and small grains continued to be important.

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Attractions Granbury Live 114 N. Crockett St., Granbury, TX 76048 www.granburylive.com t: 817.573.0303 toll free: 800.989.8240 e: info@granburylive.com Map Lone Star Lanes 1815 W Lingleville Rd., Stephenville, TX 76401 www.nctxonlineguide.com/lsl.html t: 254.968.0440 e: lonestarlanes_info@yahoo.com Map  top Camping RV Parks Big John's Liquor and RV Park / Whit's Grocery Shak 4133 3rd St, Walnut Springs, TX 76690 www.bigjohnswalnut.com t: 254.797.5000 f: 254.797.0227 e: info@bigjohnswalnut.com Map top Churches Stephenville First Assembly Hwy 377 and 67 (across from the Sheriff's dept) www.cornerstoneforchrist.org  t: 254-918-5433 f: 254-965-0882 e: firstassembly@stephenville.com Map  top Eateries Bakeries Tiger Corner / Sub Express / Barnard St. Bakery 1110 NE Big Bend Trail, Glen Rose TX 76043 www.tigercorner.biz t: 254.897.3324 f: 254.898.8406 e: info@tigercorner.biz Map top Financial Services Banks Town and Country Bank 150 N. Harbin, Stephenville, TX 76401 www.tcbank.com t: 254.968.4125 f: 254.968.4413 Map top Health Care Chiropractic Coble Chiropractic 507 SW Big Bend Trail, Ste. C, Glen Rose, TX 76043 t: 254.897.7447 f: 254.897.2099 e: coblechiropractic@valornet.com Map Dental Susan Baker, DDS 1104 Bluebonnet St, Glen Rose TX 76043 www.drsusanbaker.com t: 254.898.4646 f: 254.897.7321 e: sjbaker@windstream.net Map Pharmacies Best Value Medical Center Pharmacy Immunizations and Compounds too! 1100 Bluebonnet St, Glen Rose TX 76043 www.bestvaluepharmacies.com  t: 254.897.9917 f: 254.897.9919 Map top Home Services Well Drilling Pollock Well Drilling & Services Inc 2910 Hwy 67 N., Rainbow, TX 76077 t: 254.897.2350 f: 254.897.9613 e: pollockdrilling@valornet.com Map top Professional Services Business Consulting Powers Communication Serving all of North Central Texas www.nctxonlineguide.com/powerscom.html t: 254.436.0000 e: info@nctxonlineguide.com Computer Services John Cunyus - Mobile Computer Repair PO Box 482, Glen Rose, TX 76403 www.johncunyus.com/computerservice.html t: 254.897.4197 Toll Free: 888.896.6081 e: john@johncunyus.com Printing and Advertising Services Color Visual Concepts PO Box 250, Granbury, TX 76048 www.qualityprintingcheap.com Toll Free: 877.232.3624 f: 888.699.0392 top Ranch Services Well Drilling Pollock Well Drilling & Services Inc 2910 Hwy 67 N., Rainbow, TX 76077 t: 254.897.2350 f: 254.897.9613 e: pollockdrilling@valornet.com Map top Real Estate Home Inspectors Burgan Home Inspections Inspecting North / North Central Texas for over 20 years www.nctxonlineguide.com/burganinspections.html t: 254-898-0102 c: 817.379.9799 e: burganinspections@verizon.com Map top Retail Grocery Big John's Liquor and RV Park / Whit's Grocery Shak 4133 3rd St, Walnut Springs, TX 76690 www.bigjohnswalnut.com t: 254.797.5000 f: 254.797.0227 e: info@bigjohnswalnut.com Map Liquor Big John's Liquor and RV Park / Whit's Grocery Shak 4133 3rd St, Walnut Springs, TX 76690 www.bigjohnswalnut.com t: 254.797.5000 f: 254.797.0227 e: info@bigjohnswalnut.com Map top Salons Headcases Hair and Nail Studio 2900 W. Washington Ste 32B, Stephenville TX 76401 t: 254.918.1160 Map top Trash Service Lone Star Disposal 1201 NE Baranard St, Glen Rose TX 76043 t: 254.897.3406 f: 254.897.2871 e: lonestardisposal@valornet.com Map  top Utilities Southwest Water & Electric Energy Powers Serving all of North Central Texas and the World www.sweepcorp.com e: info@sweepcorp.com top Wedding Services Tiger Corner / Sub Express / Barnard St. Bakery 1110 NE Big Bend Trail, Glen Rose TX 76043 www.tigercorner.biz t: 254.897.3324 f: 254.898.8406 e: info@tigercorner.biz Map top ref: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/EE/hce6.html