Real County

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just the same. Out here on the Edwards Plateau, the land doesn't ease you in gently; it rolls and breaks and drops away into the canyons carved by the Frio River, and that right there sets the tone for everything that follows. This is Real County, and its story starts long before it had that name.

The Spanish were here first, founding Mission San Lorenzo de La Santa Cruz in 1762, near what is now Camp Wood. That's a long time to have a foothold on a piece of ground. But holding it wasn't simple.

The Comanche, the Apache, and the Lipan Apache called this country home, and their raids were persistent enough to hold white settlement at bay until after 1881. Not a rumor of danger; actual, sustained resistance that kept the frontier exactly where it was for years. When settlement finally did take hold, it was men like John Leakey (born in 1824, died in 1900) who planted themselves in the region as pioneer settlers.

The town that became the county seat carries his name to this day: Leakey. Now, a county needs more than a seat; it needs a reason for being. Real County got its reason on April 3, 1913, when it was created from portions of Edwards, Kerr, and Bandera counties.

Organized just a few months later on July 26, 1913, it was named in honor of Julius Real (born in 1860, died in 1944) a prominent businessman who served as a state senator from 1909 to 1914 and again from 1924 to 1928. The Frio's canyons cut deep, the Spanish came early, the Indians held long, and eventually a senator got his name on the map. That's Real County for you; earned every syllable.

What the marker says

Located on the Edwards Plateau, Real County is in an area of rolling terrain broken by the canyons of the Frio River. Because of raids by Comanche, Apache, and Lipan Apache Indians, white settlement was hindered until after 1881. Mission San Lorenzo de La Santa Cruz was founded by the Spanish in 1762 near present Camp Wood. The county was created on April 3, 1913, from Edwards, Kerr, and Bandera counties. Organized on July 26, 1913, it was named in honor of Julius Real (1860-1944), a prominent businessman and state senator, 1909-1914 and 1924-1928. Leakey, the county seat, was established by John Leakey (1824-1900), a pioneer settler in the region. (1968)