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History in
a Pecan Shell
Bradshaw was born in 1909 with the approach and arrival of the Santa
Fe Railroad. The town of Audra, two miles west, was bypassed by
the railroad and Bradshaw inherited their population, small though
it was. The town was named to honor land-donor C. M. Bradshaw who
gave the railroad a right-of-way. The town prospered (bolstered
by the former residents of Audra) and by 1910 there were already
two grocery stores, a mercantile store, a blacksmith, butcher, and
druggist.
By 1914, the town had added a bank, and hotel. A Baptist and Christian
joined the existing Methodist church. The prosperous 20s were kind
to Bradshaw and by the onset of the Great Depression, it had a healthy
population of 450 people. Improved highway construction during the
30s shortened the 28 miles to Abilene
and the town suffered from its proximity.
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