Bend is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Lampasas Lampasas ( ) is a city in Lampasas County, Texas, United States. Its population was 7,291 at the 2020 census. It is the seat of Lampasas County. Lampasas is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan statistical area. History ...

and San Saba Counties in western

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a ph ...

. Its population was 1,678 as of the 2010 census. It is located on Farm to Market Road 580 on the western leg of a horseshoe-shaped bend in the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

. The Lampasas County portion of Bend is part of the Killeen–

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

–

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

Settlement of the area began in the mid-19th century. In 1854, the community took the name Schleicher's Bend, after an early settler

Gustav Schleicher Gustav Schleicher (sometimes spelled Gustave) (November 19, 1823 – January 10, 1879) was a German-born Democratic United States Representative from Texas. He was an engineer who served briefly in the Texas legislature, and was a veteran ...

. By 1856, it was called McAnelly's Bend after Robert Daugherty McAnelly, a landowner on the Lampasas side of the river. The community exists on both sides of the Colorado River, the Lampasas (west) side of the river is known locally as "Little Bend". When the application for a post office on the San Saba side of the river was made in the late 1870s, the names Little Breeches and Bend were submitted; the Bend Post Office opened in 1879 and has continuously operated ever since. Bend had a population around 400 in 1890. For most of the 20th century, however, the community recorded 100 to 125 residents.

Sulphur Springs

Three miles south of Bend, on the Colorado River, was the Victorian resort and

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

of Sulphur Springs. It fell into disuse during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, but was revived in the 1980s as a fishing resort.

Jumbo Hollis

In the early 20th century, extensive pecan orchards were planted in the area. By mid-century, the Hollis native pecan had become the region's

cash crop A cash crop or profit crop is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") ...

. Bend boosters consider the 'Jumbo Hollis', a tree whose name is derived from its unusually large nuts and its first owner, Thomas I. Hollis, to be the world's most productive pecan tree. When other native pecan trees averaged 70 to 80 nuts per pound, Jumbo's averaged 33. At the

1904 World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

, 'Jumbo Hollis' pecans won the bronze medal for being the largest displayed. The tree's record year was 1919, when it produced 1,015 pounds of nuts.

Education

The Little Bend school closed in the 1920s and the Bend school was consolidated with San Saba schools in 1960. The San Saba County portion of Bend is served by the

San Saba Independent School District San Saba Independent School District is a public school district based in San Saba, Texas ( USA). In addition to San Saba, the district also serves part of the community of Bend. The district's mascot is the Armadillo. In 2009, the school di ...

, while the

Lampasas Independent School District Lampasas Independent School District is a public school district based in Lampasas, Texas (USA) that serves about 3,350 students. In addition to Lampasas, the district also serves the city of Kempner and part of the Bend community. Located mos ...

serves Little Bend, the Lampasas County portion of the community.

Transportation

Farm to Market Road 580 crosses the Colorado River at Eagle Ford Crossing, connecting Bend with Little Bend. In 1884, a cable-line ferry was installed at Eagle Ford Crossing, and it was replaced by a bridge in 1902. The main road in Bend was paved in 1960.

References

External links

* {{authority control Unincorporated communities in San Saba County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Lampasas County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area