DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Polk County — carved right out of Liberty County on March 30, 1846, and by July 13 of that same year it was already organized, already standing on its own two feet with Livingston named as the county seat. Now that is not a county that wasted any time.
It took its name from James Knox Polk, born 1795, died 1849 — the President of the United States who threw his weight behind the annexation of Texas. So in a way, every time you cross into Polk County, you're crossing into a piece of that story. The early settlers put down roots in places called Drew's Landing, Mariana, and Swartout — names that don't show up on too many maps anymore, but they were there, they were real.
And then there's this: in 1854, the state of Texas granted 1,280 acres of land, and on that land, the descendants of the Alabama Indians still live. Not lived. Live.
That's what the marker says, and that detail carries more weight than just about anything else out here on this road. A people, a place, a grant of land — and a presence that outlasted every boundary line politicians ever drew.
What the marker says
Polk County, created from Liberty County March 30, 1846, organized July 13, 1846 with Livingston as county seat. Named for James Knox Polk, 1795-1849, President of the United States who favored the annexation of Texas. Early settlements were Drew's Landing, Mariana, Swartout. On 1,280 acres granted by the state in 1854, the descendants of the Alabama Indians still live.