Bronte

Duane's take

The official marker's the one doin' the talkin' here, and I'm just the one givin' it a voice. Now settle in, because this little story starts with a name problem. Out here in Coke County, sitting right at the eastern gateway to the Permian Basin, there's a town that couldn't quite make up its mind what to call itself.

In the early 1880s, folks were kicking around two names for this place: Oso and Broncho. Two names, one town. That kind of identity confusion can follow a place for a while.

But then 1890 rolled around, and somebody made a decision. The town was formally named for Charlotte Bronte, the English novelist. Now that is a choice.

Out here in West Texas, where the wind comes at you sideways and the land runs flat and wide, they reached across an ocean and back through the pages of literature to settle on a name. The town built itself up on a basic agricultural economy, predominantly ranching, which makes a whole lot of sense when you look around at what this country offers. It incorporated in 1907, made it official, put the paperwork to the place.

And for decades, that ranching life defined it. Then came 1948. That's when the major oil and gas development arrived, and Bronte, sitting at that eastern gateway to the Permian Basin, found itself in the middle of something much bigger than cattle and fence lines.

Charlotte Bronte wrote about quiet lives with extraordinary depths running underneath. Turns out, this town named for her had a few depths of its own.

What the marker says

Eastern gateway to Permian Basin, in Coke County. Called Oso and Broncho in early 1880's. Formally named for English novelist Charlotte Bronte, in 1890. Incorporated 1907. Basic agricultural economy, predominantly ranching. Site of major oil and gas development since 1948. (1964)