| History
in a Pecan Shell
It was once known
as Mount Hecla - but no one can remember why. The community did have postal
service under that name in 1878. Henry Bryson showed up and built a log cabin
that same year and the name was changed in his honor. Mr. Bryson was evidently
a persuavsive type for he later became a county commissioner. The Chicago, Rock
Island and Texas Railway arrived in 1903 - always a milestone event in the life
of a small town.
Despite it being alongside a railroad, Bryson remained
a quiet town - described by the Handbook of Texas as "a business and school community
of area cattlemen." Oil was discovered in Jack County in 1898, but no one really
knew what to do with the stuff. By the 1920s they did and the town become a processing
center.
Bryson was soon Jack County's "second city." Incorporated in 1931, it had just
over 800 residents by 1947 - the high-water mark.
Oil production fell
and people started leaving as the jobs and money evaporated. It was down to 450
by the late 70s but has since regained a few people.
In 1988 there were
an estimated 690 residents and the figure given for the 2004 highway map was 528. | 
