| |
 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Dating from a settlement called Bould Springs (after founding settler Carey
Boulds) in 1852, a post office opened that same year. Four years later the Bennett
family relocated here – becoming the town’s first permanent residents. The town
reported an estimated population of just over 300 for 1860.
West (as
it appears today) came to life in 1881 with the arrival of the Missouri, Kansas
and Texas Railroad. It was platted on a quarter section of land belonging
to Thos. M. West, landowner, storekeeper and postmaster. The West post office
opened in 1852 and was followed by the store (a reversal of how most post offices
were opened in Texas) the following year.
The town incorporated in 1892
and by 1900 the population was estimated at 2,000. The town had duplicates of
all essential businesses and became a stop on the Texas Electric Traction Railway
– an Interurban line that once connected Waco
with Dallas. Primarily an Anglo community
during it’s early years, Czech and German immigrants began arriving around 1900.
Cotton and cattle
ranching were the regions economic engines, supplemented by a textile mill
and a sausage factory. The West ISD was formed in 1923.
Over the years
West has become established as the center for Texas-Czech culture despite the
fact that it is on the northern extreme of Czech settlement which stretches from
west of Austin to Colorado
County to the east and as far south as DeWitt
County. |
Photographer's
Note:
St. Mary's
Cemetery
Speaking on graveyards, I came across the one just south of West,
off I-35. St Mary's Cemetery took my breath away. It was so peaceful, well attended
too, and beautifully layed out that I really did not want to leave. That is saying
something about a cemetery. I don't know if it was because of the early morning
mist, the quietness or just the overall feeling of being in a place that so respected
their dead. I just can't explain how I felt. I even went out of my way to go back
again, later. - Barclay
Gibson | |
|
