unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, United States. According to the
Handbook of Texas
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...
The community was founded as New Prospect in 1859. William Crawford gave the land to
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
physician and clergyman Hiram Daily, who established a general store and planned the town. A farmer named Ben Brown, who had migrated to the town from
Bolivar, Tennessee
Bolivar, officially the City of Bolivar, is a city in and the county seat of Hardeman County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,417.
History
Bolivar was named for South American revolutionary leader Si ...
, recommended renaming it in 1861. He convinced the locals to vote for the new name Bolivar by giving them free
rum
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...
. John Simpson Chisum lived close to Bolivar, but in 1863 he relocated his herds to
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...
. Bolivar was three miles east of the
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail ( ) was a stock trail and wagon route used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in southern Texas, across the Red River into Indian Territory, and northward to rail stops in Kansas. The trail cons ...
, which ran through nearby cattle ranches. Trail riders stopped in Bolivar to stay at the hotel and use the saloons. Up until 1886, the community's development was gradual but continuous. Merchants from Bolivar relocated to Sanger that year, along the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. Bolivar remained a tiny farming village from 1900 until 1940. In the 1940s and early 1950s, oil production gave the economy a little boost. There used to be 40 oilfields in and around the town. Bolivar had 115 inhabitants in 1947, but the population also decreased in tandem with the oil production. Forty people were living there and were served by a
convenience store
A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...
and a post office in 1980. The population remained at 40 in 1990 and 2000.
It was named in honor of the South American leader, general, and patriot
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
indirectly. Bolivar was the first hamlet west of Collin County and the westernmost fort in Denton County in the 1800s. Here, two stagecoach lines switched horses. The thriving town boasted multiple establishments such as a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
shop, church, and school. During the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, John Chisum supplied beef to the Confederacy. Sam Bass and his troops found refuge in Bolivar and the surrounding area. In 1890, two Bolivar men were imprisoned for providing shelter to infamous marauders. Numerous early inhabitants significantly contributed to the county's growth; some of their descendants currently reside here.
In 1995, the film In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy had some scenes filmed in Bolivar.
Vincent Villafranca
Vincent Villafranca (born January 25, 1969) is an American sculptor. He creates bronze sculptures ranging from traditional wildlife imagery to futuristic science-fiction-based imagery.
Biography
Early life and education
Villafranca was born Jan ...
, a sculptor who has worked extensively with David Iles of Bolivar Bronze.