City of Krum

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the city of Krum, out in west-central Denton County. Now, before there was a Krum, there was something quieter, a pioneer settlement folks called the Jackson community, putting down roots out in west-central Denton County back in 1876. Families were out there carving a life from the land, and pretty soon they did what frontier families always do: they decided their children needed a school.

Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Barrett and C.H.

Jackson deeded land for that school, and for a cemetery too, the same ground that still stands near what we call Krum Jackson Cemetery today. Then 1886 rolls around, and everything changed. The Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway came through, purchasing acreage from Louis L. and Gabrilla Finley for a proper town site.

They named the new town in honor of Charles K. Krum, a railroad official. Just like that, a name was on the map and businesses were movin' in fast.

A home for the station agent went up. Shops opened their doors. Before long you had yourself a hardware store, a blacksmith shop, a saloon, a drug store, and a hotel, the whole working vocabulary of a Texas town finding its feet.

The post office came in 1888, first housed right there in the Finley store, with S.D. Chadwell serving as the first postmaster. He held that post until Mr.

Finley himself took over later that same year. Now, the community wasn't just tending to commerce, they were tending to the soul, too. The First Baptist Church had actually organized back in 1882, meeting in the Jackson schoolhouse before the town even had its name.

Then in 1891, the Methodist church made the move from the old Jackson community into Krum proper. The Church of Christ of Krum was established in 1893, and the Presbyterian church followed in 1901. One by one, the congregations gathered.

But here's where Krum developed a reputation that reached far beyond Denton County. That rich soil? It grew wheat.

And not just any wheat, bountiful harvests that turned Krum into the largest inland grain market in the early 1900s. That's a title worth saying slowly. The largest inland grain market.

Wheat from this region earned awards, including the grand prize for Rainbow Flour at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Agricultural production plants and factories rose up to process the goods, and banks opened to keep the whole operation humming.

Krum was officially incorporated in 1955, and it's been growing and preserving its heritage ever since. A pioneer settlement in 1876. A railroad town by 1886.

A world-prize-winning wheat capital by 1904. Some places earn their place on the map slowly. Krum just kept raising the stakes.

What the marker says

Located in west-central Denton County, the city of Krum began as a pioneer settlement, known as the Jackson community, near present-day Krum Jackson Cemetery in 1876. Soon, the families decided to establish a school. Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Barrett and C.H. Jackson deeded land for the school and a cemetery. The town of Krum was founded in 1886 when the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway purchased acreage from Louis L. and Gabrilla Finley for the town site, named in honor of Charles K. Krum, a railroad official. Businesses quickly opened and a home for the station agent was built in town. The post office was established in 1888 and was first housed in the Finley store with S.D. Chadwell serving as the first postmaster until Mr. Finley took over later that year. A hardware store, blacksmith shop, saloon, drug store and a hotel opened to serve the growing town. To serve the community's spiritual needs, the First Baptist Church organized in 1882 in the Jackson schoolhouse, and in 1891 the Methodist church moved from the Jackson community to Krum. The Church of Christ of Krum was established in 1893 and the Presbyterian church in 1901. The rich soil in the region produced bountiful wheat harvests for which the town became famous, known as the largest inland grain market in the early 1900s. Wheat grown in the area earned awards, including the grand prize for the "Rainbow Flour" at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Agricultural production plants and factories were established to process goods, and banks opened to assist families and businesses in the area. Krum was officially incorporated in 1955 and continues to focus on the growth of this rural town while preserving its rich historical heritage. (2017)