DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Karnes City — and friend, this one's got a little bit of everything. Now, Karnes City sits as the seat of Karnes County, but it didn't start out with that fancy title. The whole thing kicked off in the Christmas season of 1890, when a partnership headed by a man named Otto Buchel went out and bought a thousand acres of land from J.
L. Calvert — five dollars an acre. Five dollars.
You pick up a nice piece of Texas for the price of a decent hat. The tract they chose sat near the geographic center of the county, and it adjoined the right-of-way of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad, which back in those days was about as prime a location as you could ask for. They named the young town Karnes, in honor of Henry W.
Karnes — Texas Ranger hero, born 1812, died 1840. Now the marker has something to say about this man, and I want you to hear it. Small, mild-mannered, they say.
Not exactly the picture you paint in your head when someone says Texas Ranger hero. But he was conspicuous — that's the marker's own word — conspicuous for his cool courage in battle. The kind of cool that makes other men nervous just bein' around it.
And then there's the hair. Henry W. Karnes was red-headed.
Famously so. So famously so that on one occasion, a group of Comanche women besieged him — besieged him — trying to wash what they figured was berry juice right out of his hair. Can you imagine the scene?
This battle-tested Ranger, cool as creek water under fire, getting absolutely swarmed by women convinced his head needed a good rinse. The marker doesn't tell us how that particular standoff ended, and honestly, maybe it's better that way. On April 1st, 1891, when the first Karnes post office was established, somebody decided the name needed a little more gravity, a little more presence — and so "City" was added.
Karnes City. And that city wasted no time. Within three years of getting started, the citizens were already petitioning for an election to pull the county seat away from Helena and bring it home to Karnes City.
The voters weighed in, and it wasn't close — two to one in favor of Karnes City. The move was made in January of 1894. From 1891 on, the place kept growing steady.
Seven newspapers. Four banks. Businesses of all kinds setting up shop.
And during the railroad boom — when a train was, as the marker puts it, the most exciting way to travel — six passenger trains a day came rolling through town. Six. That little town near the geographic center of Karnes County had become a place people were moving through and moving to.
The economy over the years has drawn from ranching, farming, uranium, oil, and gas. That's a range of riches that would make even a red-headed Texas Ranger nod with appreciation. Founded in a Christmas season, named for a fearless little man with extraordinary hair, and built into a county seat that took the title fair and square — that's Karnes City, and that's the marker's word on it.
What the marker says
Seat of Karnes County; was founded in Christmas season, 1890, when a partnership headed by Otto Buchel bought 1,000 acres of land from J. L. Calvert for $5 an acre. The tract was near the geographic center of the county and adjoined the right-of-way of the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad. The young town was first named Karnes in honor of Henry W. Karnes (1812-1840), Texas Ranger hero. Although a small, mild-mannered man, Karnes was conspicuous for his cool courage in battle. Red-headed, he was once beseiged by a group of Comanche women who attempted to wash the "berry juice" out of his hair. When the first Karnes post office was established April 1, 1891, "City" was added to the name. The new town grew so fast that within three years citizens petitioned for an election to remove the county seat from Helena to Karnes City. The voters favored Karnes City two-to-one and the move was made January, 1894. Having grown steadily since 1891, Karnes City has had seven newspapers, four banks, and many businesses. During the railroad boom, when a train was the most exciting way to travel, six passenger trains per day came through town. The economy of the area has been based on ranching, farming, uranium, oil, and gas.