Crawford

Duane's take

The marker tells it this way, and I'm just passing it along — this is Crawford, McLennan County, straight off the official record. Now before Crawford was Crawford, this stretch of central Texas belonged to the Tonkawa Indians. That's who was here first.

A settlement started up in the 1850s, anchored around a place called Tonk Crossing, two miles northeast of where the town would eventually plant its flag. The first townsite sat right at the crossroads of two trade routes — the road running Waco to Gatesville, and the one cutting from Belton up toward Fort Graham. Good a place as any to start a town.

And here's a thing the marker will tell you straight — nobody knows for certain where the name Crawford came from. Not for sure. There are candidates, though, and they make for an interesting lineup.

You've got William Nelson Crawford, a Coryell City resident who graded the Tonk Creek Crossing. You've got A.C. Crawford of Galveston, a director of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad.

And then there's Texas Ranger George Crawford, who was stationed right here. Three Crawfords, one town name, and the exact source lost somewhere in the dust of history. The town grew slowly at first.

The post office opened in 1871. By the latter part of that decade, Crawford had filled out some — several stores, a tavern, a blacksmith shop, and a school carrying an enrollment of about a hundred students. Not a boom town, but a working one.

Then 1881 arrived, and with it, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad, building north from Temple toward Fort Worth. And here's where Crawford's story takes a sharp turn — because the railroad bypassed the original townsite entirely. Now that kind of thing has ended many a settlement.

But the residents of Crawford didn't much argue with the railroad. They picked up and moved to meet the new line. And when they did, the town found its footing.

Economic growth followed. Four churches went up. A cotton gin.

A grain mill. The place had some life in it now. Crawford incorporated in 1897 and spent the twentieth century doing what it had always done — serving as an agricultural center.

At its heights it claimed more than 700 residents, two banks, and dozens of local businesses. And then July 1999 arrived, and a thing happened that no townsite plat or railroad survey could have predicted. Texas Governor George W.

Bush and his family bought the former Englebrecht Ranch west of town — the place known as Prairie Chapel Ranch. The following year, his election as President of the United States transformed that ranch into the Western White House. Gatherings of U.S. officials and foreign heads of state.

International media attention descending on a small agricultural town in McLennan County. And Crawford — the town that started around a creek crossing in the 1850s, the town that moved itself when the railroad changed its mind — became the official voting place for President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. From Tonk Crossing to the world stage.

Crawford didn't go looking for history. History just kept finding it.

What the marker says

Crawford Located in an area of McLennan County once inhabited by Tonkawa Indians, the community of Crawford grew slowly from an 1850S settlement centered around Tonk Crossing (two miles northeast). The first townsite was at the crossroads of the Waco to Gatesville and Belton to Fort Graham trade routes. The exact source for the town's name is unknown, but possibilities include Coryell City resident William Nelson Crawford, who graded the Tonk Creek Crossing, A.C. Crawford of Galveston, a director of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, or Texas Ranger George Crawford, who was stationed here. Development increased following the Civil War, and the post office opened in 1871. By the latter part of that decade, the town included several stores, a tavern, a blacksmith shop and a school with an enrollment of about 100. In 1881, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, building north from Temple to Fort Worth, bypassed the original townsite, and residents began moving here along the new line. Crawford experienced economic growth as a result, and there were soon four churches, a cotton gin and a grain mill. Incorporated in 1897, the town remained an important agricultural center throughout the twentieth century, at times boasting more than 700 residents, two banks and dozens of local businesses. In July 1999, Texas Governor George W. Bush and his family bought the former Englebrecht Ranch (Prairie Chapel Ranch) west of town. His election as President of the United States in 2000 turned the ranch into the "Western White House," the site of gatherings for U.S. officials and foreign heads of state. Crawford gained international media attention and served as the official voting place for President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. (2004)