The story of Coleman County begins its official history with the first family, with all their worldly possessions lumped into one wagon, looking for a new start.  L. D. St. Clair is given credit for bringing the first family here to settle in 1856.  Even before actual settlement began, people began a gradual push westward into what was known as Indian country.  After Texas became a state, in 1836, the United States government began establishing outposts to guard and protect the settlers from Indian raids.  One of these posts, Camp Colorado, was to play an important part in the history and development of Coleman County.  Coleman County and twenty-two other counties were created by an act of the State Legislature on February 1, 1858, and was named for Colonel Robert M. Coleman.  Coleman County had been surveyed several years earlier and was taken from Travis and Brown Counties.  In 1862, a tentative organization of the county was made, but it was joined with Brown County for judicial purposes, for a few years.  In 1867 a permanent government was set up at Camp Colorado, and the records show that county officers were elected and taxes paid in Coleman County each year following this date.  In 1876, a site for the county seat was selected ... this site was named Coleman City, which grew rapidly after being established.  Some towns were settled due to a need near ranches ... Glen Cove, Trickham, Burkett, Leaday, Voss, and Gouldbusk; some were founded with the coming of the railroad ... Talpa and Valera on the road to Ballinger - and Silver Valley, Novice, and Goldsboro on the road to Clovis, New Mexico.

     Runnels County was created at the same time as Coleman in 1858.  However, there were few settlers there before the 1880's, and when Coleman City was located as a permanent county seat in 1876, Runnels County was attached to it for judicial purposes until 1880.  This is the reason that several post offices and schools and folks paving taxes found in Coleman County records were actually located in Runnels County.

     An article in the "Austin Democratic Statesman' of January 7, 1878 describes Coleman County.  "Coleman County is mostly prairie but has sufficient timber for all practical purposes, and is well watered, having six or seven running streams besides the Colorado, which forms the southern boundary of the county.  It is principally a "stock county," being one of the finest grazing counties in the whole west, but is gradually settling up with farmers.  The soil is rich and all that is needed is a few more men of enterprise and means to develop its resources. The land on the Jim Ned, Muke Water, Home, and other creeks is as fertile and productive as can be found in the valleys of the Colorado.  Last year was (as we all know) unusually dry and the crop in Coleman was planted nearly altogether in new land and of course was injured to a greater extend than that planted in old land in other counties.  I have been told by parties who know, that in ordinary seasons, farming is a success in Coleman and will pay those who are not too partial to the shade in the fence corners.  Those who expect to make money here without means or without work had better never come.  We can well do with out them.  The creature most hated and despised in this county is a "dead beat."  A mill, and perhaps a gin, are very much needed in Coleman, and in my opinion, would pay.  As yet there has not been very much cotton raised, but farmers would plant more if they did not have to haul it thirty or forty miles to have it ginned.  A considerable portion of the cultivated land was planted in wheat last year.  This is fine grain country.  Coleman has plenty of rock for all purposes, and will soon have in operation a brick kiln large enough to supply the wants of all who prefer brick to other materials for building purposes.  There cannot be found in all Texas a healthier county than this.  Sickness and death are almost strangers here.  The doctors stand around with their hands in their pockets and wish for the "good old time" that has passed away.  In their misery they only find company in the lawyers.  Coleman contains about three thousand people, and is being constantly added to by the constant arrival of immigrants.  The population is composed principally of persons from different parts of the United States, but there are among them Germans, English, Irish and French.  I do not think ten negroes can be found in the county.  Although Coleman is a frontier county, there has not been an Indian in it for more than three years.  The majesty of the law is recognized by all and order prevails throughout the county." 

     And then on August 12, 1879, we find an article from the "Burnet Bulletin" on Coleman County.  "We have a beautiful country here.  The prairie is high and undulating, covered with the most luxuriant grass, and in many places having a sparse growth of mesquite varying in size from a small shrub to a tree several inches in diameter.  Hord's Creek winds its way through this extensive plateau.  The land in its valleys is very fertile, producing with a fair season from 20 to 30 bushels of wheat per acre and from 30 to 50 bushels of corn.  Oats and millet do well.  Cotton is not raised here, there being more profit in grain.  In cases of trial, however, a fourth of an acre produced 350 pounds of cotton in the seed, and was plowed and hoed only once.  The county is settling up very fast.  Those who design coming here would do well to be looking out for a home as all the choice localities are soon going to be taken.  Land is selling at from one to three dollars per acre, the general price being about $1.50. - V. R. Stapp"

     It was almost a three week trip from Fort Worth to Yuma, Arizona -and Coleman was on the stage line.  Many of the present roads of the county follow the old stage lines and cattle trails.  A Commissioners Court record dated December 2, 1876, order, "That a first class road be laid out running northwest from Coleman in the direction of Cedar Gap; north in the direction of Callahan County; east by Camp Colorado and Byrds Store; southeast in the direction of Brownwood; and west in the direction of the center of Runnels County."  The revised statutes of 1876 define a first class road... "First class roads shall be clear of all obstructions, and not less than 40 feet nor more than 60 feet wide: all stumps over 6 inches in diameter shall be cut down to 6 inches of the surface and rounded off.  All stumps six inches and under to be cut smooth with the ground."  Prairie dog towns were nuisances in early day Coleman County. They were considered more destructive to the grass than a large flock of sheep.

     Coal had been mined and used as fuel at Camp Colorado.  In 1890, the Silver Moon Mining Company was working a 36 inch vein of coal, it being the best coal ever brought to the market.  The mine was located about 12 miles east of Coleman.  The mining company was delivering coal to Coleman for about $8 per ton.  Coal is found over much of the county and today is being mined on a large scale near Rockwood by the Amistad Fuel Company.

     The first known marriage in Coleman County was that of J. J. Callan and Margaret Sheen, in February, 1859; others that followed were M. M. Callan and Jennie Johnson, and R. C. Morgan and Melvina St. Clair.  The first known white baby born in the county was Willie Callan born in December 1859, followed by Jeff Morgan in 1861.

     The first telephone in the county was established by J. K. Dunbar, having purchased the abandoned military telegraph line between Coleman and Baird on August 1, 1883.  A private line was built from Brownwood to Coleman and connected with the Melton Hotel in Santa Anna.  In 1892, Henry Collingsworth put in a local exchange at Santa Anna, and after a few years, he sold his exchange to W. W. Weaver, who installed a modern system, extending the service to Coleman.  R. G. Hollingsworth and his sister began the first telephone system in Coleman, later joining with others to found the West Texas Telephone Company, which later was sold to the Southwestern States Telephone Company.

     1900 marked the end of an era for Coleman County.  At that time, the county went into a colonization period in which the large ranches were gradually broken up and sold in small farm homesteads.  During this period train loads of immigrants came into the county to purchase farm homes and grow cotton.  Although farming in general was not common until after 1900, the first plowing and commercial crops date before 1860.  Today there is some industry in the county, but it yet remains largely a stock-farming rural area.  Oil production has added much to the economy of our county in recent years.

     Population of Coleman County through the years:  1860 - 58; 1870 - 347; 1880 - 3,603; 1890 - 6,112; 1900 - 10,077; 1910 - 22,618; 1920 - 18,805; 1930 - 23,669;1940 - 20,571; 1950 - 15,503; 1960 - 12,458; 1970 - 10,288; 1980 - 10,439.

Annual events include a rodeo in July at Coleman, a county livestock show in January, a county fair (Fiesta de la Paloma) in September, and a fourth of July fair.

Ranching in the 1890's

In the Echo area with the J. J. Johnson family about 1913

The passing of an era - 1914