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Callahan is named for James Hughes Callahan, a soldier during the
Texas Revolution.
Its county seat is Baird.
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Between 1858 and 1877, Callahan County was attached successively to Bexar County, Travis County,
and Eastland County for administrative and judicial purposes. In 1877 the residents, more than 150 strong, signed
a petition requesting the organization of Callahan County. At the election of July 3, 1877, Callahan City became
the first county seat, a position the town retained only until the election of October 13, 1877, when Belle Plain
was voted in as the new county seat. An election on January 16, 1883, made Baird the new county seat.
During the 1880s extensive farming was introduced. Settlers from East Texas began farming in the area around Cottonwood
in the mid-1880s, raising cotton, oats, and various varieties of fruit. Despite the impressive growth of agriculture,
however, ranching continued to form the mainstay of the economy. The total number of cattle in the county during
the period from 1890 and 1930 ranged between 25,000 and 35,000. Most were beef cattle, although dairying became
more popular after the turn of the century, and for a time the county was a major producer of butter. |
Cities and towns
Baird
Clyde
Cottonwood
Cross Plains
Putnam
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