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On January 22, 1858, Mason County, named for Fort Mason, was established by an act of the state legislature. George W. Todd organized the county on August 2 of that year. The act required that a county seat be established within two miles of the fort, and on May 20, 1861, voters chose the town of Mason for this purpose. The original boundaries of the county have remained virtually unchanged over the years. Mason County grew slowly at first due to the danger of Indian attacks (despite the presence of Fort Mason), and also because of the onset of the Civil War shortly after the county was organized. Most early settlers were farmers, and agriculture centered around providing basic necessities. |
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Mason, the county seat of Mason County, is on Comanche Creek at the junction of Interstate
Highway 87/State Highway 29 and Ranch roads 1871 and 386, in the central part of the county. It grew up around
Fort Mason, established in 1851, although some settlers were already in the area before that date. One of the first,
William S. Gamel, is thought to have arrived around 1846. Peter Birk and Henry Hick were among the first German
settlers who moved west from Fredericksburg. Near the site of present Mason is Gamel Spring, where John O. Meusebach
is thought to have signed a treaty with Comanche Chief Ketemoczy in 1847. |
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