Bolivar ( ) 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 ...

in northern

Denton County Denton County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 906,422, making it the 7th-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton. The county, which was named for John B. Denton, was establis ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States, at the intersection of Farm Roads 2450 and 455, 14 miles northwest of Denton, on Clear Creek.

History

The community was founded as New Prospect in 1859. William Crawford sold the site to Hiram Daily, a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

minister and doctor, who opened a general store, and laid out and named the town. In 1861 Ben Brown, a farmer who had moved from

Bolivar, Tennessee Bolivar is a city in and the county seat of Hardeman County, Tennessee, United States. The town was named for South American revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,417. Bolivar is served by Willia ...

, suggested the renaming of the town and persuaded residents to vote for the name Bolivar by providing them free

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

. John Simpson Chisum ranched near Bolivar but moved his herds in 1863 to West Texas. Bolivar was three miles east of the Chisholm Trail, which ran through nearby cattle ranches. Cowboys on the trail came to Bolivar to stay at its hotel and patronize its saloons. Development of the community was slow but steady until 1886. In that year, Bolivar merchants moved their businesses to Sanger, on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway—locals say Bolivar residents opposed giving up land for the railroad, whereas nearby Sanger, Texas to the east was much more accommodating. From 1900 until 1940 Bolivar remained a small community of farmers. The economy received a slight boost from oil production during the 1940s and early 1950s. At one time 40 oilfields were in and around the community. In 1947 Bolivar had 115 residents. As the production of oil declined, however, so did the population. In 1980 a post office, a convenience store, and 40 residents remained. In 1990 and in 2000 the population was still recorded as 40. Institutions include a gas station/cafe, a Southern Baptist Church, a non-denominational church, a sand company, and a veterinary clinic.

Education

The Sanger Independent School District, with all schools in Sanger, serves area students.

References

External links

*Abelson, Frances Simpson and Rheba Rippey Marshall.
A History of Bolivar
'. * Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Denton County, Texas Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Populated places established in 1859 1859 establishments in Texas {{DentonCountyTX-geo-stub