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Young County is in north central Texas. Graham, the county seat
of government, is in the southeastern section of the county. The
county was named for Col. William C. Young. In 1851 the
United States Army established Fort Belknap on the Red Fork of
the Brazos, where eventually the town of Belknap grew up. Fort
Belknap became one of the largest and most important military
posts in North Texas prior to the Civil War. |
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Young County was established by the Texas
legislature in 1856 from lands formerly assigned to Bosque and
Fannin counties and was attached to Wise County for judicial
purposes until it was organized later that same year. The town
of Belknap was chosen as the county seat and was a stop on the
Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 to 1861. |
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The county's early years were marred by conflicts between
Indians and white settlers in the region. The Brazos
Reservation, originally 18,576 acres, was doubled in size to
make room for other western Indian tribes. Among the 2,000
Indians living there were Caddos, Anadarkos, Wacos, and Tonkawas,
each with their own villages and all relieved to have protection
from the Comanches. Racial antagonisms, fueled by the
Whiteman, a Jacksboro newspaper, brought tensions to a state
of armed belligerency by 1858. Governor Hardin R. Runnels and
Gen. Sam Houston asked the federal government to move the
reservation Indians from Texas. After eight Indians who had been
given permission to hunt in Palo Pinto were killed in their
sleep by whites, federal troops fortified a reservation building
to protect Indian women and children against attack; on January
9, 1859, Governor Runnels warned citizens against attacking
Indians. Nevertheless, John R. Baylor led a force to one
reservation on May 23, 1859, and killed an Indian woman and an
old man. Indians struck back in a battle just off the
reservation that cost casualties to both sides. The Indians were
removed to Indian Territory in July. Some months later most were
slaughtered by Comanches. |
Cities and Towns
Graham
Newcastle
Olney
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ONLINE DATA |
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Mockingbird
State Bird
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