TexasEscapes.com HOME Welcome to Texas Escapes
A magazine written by Texas
Custom Search
New   |   Texas Towns   |   Ghost Towns   |   Counties   |   Trips   |   Features   |   Columns   |   Architecture   |   Images   |   Archives   |   Site Map

Travis County TX
Travis County

Counties
Texas Counties


Texas Towns
A - Z

Austin Hotels

More Hotels




BEE CAVE, TEXAS


Travis County, Texas Hill Country

30°18'20"N 97°57'08"W (30.305430, -97.952213)

14 miles W of Austin
Population: 9,144 (2020)
3,925 (2010) 656 (2000) 241 (1990)

Bee Cave, Texas Area Hotels › Austin Hotels

Bee Cave, Texas

By Clint Skinner

Located in West Central Travis County, the town of Bee Cave lies fourteen miles west of Austin near the intersection of State Highway 71 and Farm Roads 620 and 2244. Dietrich Bohls moved to this area during the 1850s, wanting to escape from the big city of Austin. It had reached a population of 900 and that amount of growth was too much for Bohls. He settled at the place where Barton Creek met with Little Barton Creek.

This region was a wilderness and had very few settlers because Indians roamed the land. The settlers eventually got together and called the area Bee Cave. The town earned its name because large colonies of Mexican honey bees inhabited a nearby cave and swarmed along the banks of the two creeks.

In 1870, a post office opened under the management of Martin V. Lackey. Will Johnson operated a trading post at Bee Cave a year later. By the mid-1880s, the town had added a school, church, gristmill, cotton gin, and general store.

The population reached 54 during 1914. Despite the growing population, the post office was closed down, forcing the citizens to go to Cedar Valley for their mail. The 1940s brought the consolidation of the Bee Cave School with the Teck Common School District. This changed in 1951 when it joined the Dripping Springs School District. The population fluctuated from the 1940s to the 1980s, but it always stayed around 50.

Bee Cave was incorporated in 1987. Three years later, the town's population reached the triple digits with 241 citizens. This rose to an impressive 656 at the turn of the century. By that time, Bee Cave had parks, a library, and a recreational center added. The year of 2010 saw the population massively increase to 3,925. During February 2013, Bee Cave changed from an Alderman-mayor government to a city council-mayor government. The latest development came in 2020 when the total population approached 9,144.

Bibliography
Beecavetexas.com
Tshaonline.org
Wikipedia.org



ANNUAL EVENT

The Armadillo and the West Pole

by Clint Skinner

Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, penguins roam the South Pole, and Texans inhabit the West Pole. Yes, there is a West Pole. That's what the 80th Texas Legislature concluded on May 28, 2007. Despite the lack of scientific evidence, House Resolution 2933 recognized Bee Cave, Texas as the official location of the West Pole. It's exact spot near the 98th Meridian was 38° 18.25' N and 97° 56.28 W.

The citizens of Bee Cave decided to take advantage of its new claim to fame by hosting its first Armadillo Day on February 2, 2010. Feeling that groundhogs like Punxsutawny Phil knew nothing about Texas weather, the townspeople decided to rely upon an armadillo named Bee Cave Bob. A group called The Benevolent Knights of the Raccoon was held responsible for handling the little critter.

The members of the organization placed a miniature strip of highway in front of Bob's burrow. After being coaxed from his home, he picked a lane to use for travel. The one Bob chose would indicate his prediction for an early spring or a longer winter. This tradition is now celebrated every year as a substitution for Groundhog Day.


© Clint Skinner
December 6, 2021

Bibliography
Capital.texas.gov
Dallasnews.com - February 2010
Spectrumlocalnews.com
Wikipedia.org

TX - Hamilton Pool
Photo courtesy Chandra Moira Beal
Hamilton Pool

(From "Splash Across Texas" by Chandra Moira Beal)

Take a road trip

Texas Hill Country

Bee Cave, Texas Nearby Towns:
Austin
Dripping Springs
Pflugerville

\See Travis County


Travis County TX 1907 Postal Map
1907 postal map showing Beecaves in western Travis County
From Texas state map #2090

Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Texas Escapes Online Magazine »   Archive Issues » Home »
TEXAS TOWNS & COUNTIES TEXAS LANDMARKS & IMAGES TEXAS HISTORY & CULTURE TEXAS OUTDOORS MORE
Texas Counties
Texas Towns A-Z
Texas Ghost Towns

TEXAS REGIONS:
Central Texas North
Central Texas South
Texas Gulf Coast
Texas Panhandle
Texas Hill Country
East Texas
South Texas
West Texas

Courthouses
Jails
Churches
Schoolhouses
Bridges
Theaters
Depots
Rooms with a Past
Monuments
Statues

Gas Stations
Post Offices
Museums
Water Towers
Grain Elevators
Cotton Gins
Lodges
Stores
Banks

Vintage Photos
Historic Trees
Cemeteries
Old Neon
Ghost Signs
Signs
Murals
Gargoyles
Pitted Dates
Cornerstones
Then & Now

Columns: History/Opinion
Texas History
Small Town Sagas
Black History
WWII
Texas Centennial
Ghosts
People
Animals
Food
Music
Art

Books
Cotton
Texas Railroads

Texas Trips
Texas Drives
Texas State Parks
Texas Rivers
Texas Lakes
Texas Forts
Texas Trails
Texas Maps
USA
MEXICO
HOTELS

Site Map
About Us
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer
Contributors
Staff
Contact Us

 
Website Content Copyright Texas Escapes LLC. All Rights Reserved