Izoro 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 Lampasas County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 17 in 2000. It is located within the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metropolitan area.

History

Izoro was founded in the early 1880s and early settler John Higgins named it Higgins Gap. Violence plagued the community in its early years, suffering from feuds between settlers and Indian raids. In 1885, both C.J. Dumas built a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

and E.J. Healer built a general store in Izoro. A post office was established at Izoro in 1888 with Thomas J. Upton as the first postmaster, but it was located in nearby Coryell County. A well-known resident gave it the name Izoro for his daughter, Izoro Gilliam. The post office then moved to Lampasas County in 1914 and grew to have telephone service, two churches, and three stores. The population of the community was reported as 25 in 1925, 150 in 1927, 25 in 1933, 75 in 1949, and 31 from 1968 to 1990. There was only one gas station and a combination post office/community center in the mid-1980s. The population was reported as 17 in 2000. Today, the community serves as a vacation spot for tourists, hunters, and fishermen. In the early 1900s, a couple whose families did not want them to marry each other got into a feud at a local church. The woman's father and husband died during a gunfight, while other family members were injured. The community grew up on a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

trail from

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

to Townsen Mills. The

boll weevil The boll weevil (''Anthonomus grandis'') is a beetle that feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central Mexico, it migrated into the United States from Mexico in the late 19th century and had infested all U.S. cotton-growing ...

devastated crops in the area in the 1930s. Ethel Upton also served as a postmistress for a time. A

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

also served in the community.

Geography

Izoro is located on Farm to Market Road 1690, east of

Texas State Highway 21 State Highway 21 (SH 21) runs from the Texas-Louisiana boundary east of San Augustine to San Marcos in east and central Texas. SH 21 mostly follows the alignment of the Old San Antonio Road and the El Camino Real, except for the portion bet ...

, east of the

Lampasas River The Lampasas River ( ) is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. The river originates near the city of Hamilton, Texas, Hamilton and travels southeast for 75 miles through central Texas to a man-made reservoir called Stillhouse Hollow Lake. The river ...

, and 3 ½ miles northwest of Franklin Mountain in northern Lampasas County. It is northeast of

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 north of

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Education

Izoro had its own school in 1914. Today, the community is served by 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 ...

, with elementary-age kids going to Hanna Springs Elementary School.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lampasas County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas