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History in
a Pecan ShellCaptain
James B. Armstrong founded
the Armstrong Ranch around 1893. In 1904 the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico
Railroad came through and added the ranch to its stops. The railroad sold out
to the larger Missouri Pacific. The first post office operated under the name
of Katherine, but was renamed in 1915.
The highest population
occurred in 1929 at 25 persons, although when a bus from the Rio Grange Valley
occasionally breaks down near Armstrong the population temporarily swells to 40
or more. Amenities are few and it's hard to see where Armstrong's 20 estimated
residents actually live.
We includee tiny Armstrong in our town pages
for two main reasons: One, people have asked if the post office is for real, and
two, there's not a lot of other towns to write about in Kenedy County.
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| Major James B.
Durst purchased the Armstrong Ranch land in 1853. His daughter married the Texas
Ranger Capt. John B. Armstrong in 1878, and they moved their family to the property
in 1882. Their descendants continue to run the ranch today.
In 1904
the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroad came through and added the ranch
to its stops. The railroad sold out to the larger Missouri Pacific. The first
post office operated under the name of Katherine, but was renamed in 1915.
Highway
77 was completed through the ranch in 1940. - Tobin Armstrong, Armstrong Ranch,
Armstrong, TX, April 23, 2002 |
1940s
Kenedy County Texas map showing Armstrong
(Below "N" in "KENEDY")
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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