DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Runge, Texas — and friend, this one's got layers. Now before there was a Runge, before there was even a name on a map, there was a creek. The Ojo de Agua — that's Spanish for eye of water, or spring — and it sat right along the Old Ox-Cart Road, that dusty ribbon running from San Antonio all the way down to Indianola.
Pioneer travelers rolling through on those heavy wooden wheels knew exactly what they were looking for: water, wood, and grass. The three essentials. And right here, this little spring delivered all three.
And those travelers weren't the first to figure that out, not by a long shot. The Karankawas, the Tonkawas, the Apaches, the Comanches — all of them camped and hunted in this vicinity. Numerous Indian artifacts found nearby tell that story plain as day, for anyone willing to listen to what the ground has to say.
Anglo-American settlers started putting down roots here in the early 1850s, and they called the place Sulphur Springs. Then in the late 1850s and on into the 1860s, the name shifted to Mineral Spring. Names change.
Places persist. And this place had something going for it. Then came 1886, and a group of Cuero merchants known as H.
Runge and Company made a move. They bought up a large tract of land, laid out a townsite, platted the whole thing, and gave it a name: Runge. Now, a townsite without a railroad is just a dream on paper, so here's where fortune smiled.
The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad — folks called it the SAP, and yes, they said it with affection — was extending its line from Kenedy toward Houston, and it came right through. The SAP built a depot, a switch, and stockpens at Runge. You put down a railroad depot, and a town starts breathing on its own.
September 20, 1887 — the first post office opened its doors. And then things moved fast. By 1890, Runge had grown to be the largest town in all of Karnes County.
Let that land on you for a second. The largest. In the whole county.
Public schools were organized in 1891, and the citizens of Runge took to civic life with what I can only describe as genuine enthusiasm. Pioneer social activities, the marker says — and among them, weekly band concerts held right there in the town square. Every week.
Music in the square. That is a town that has decided it intends to stay. Farming, ranching, dairying, petroleum production — that's the backbone that kept Runge standing through the decades.
Different industries, different eras, same ground. The Ojo de Agua spring drew the first travelers in because they needed what it offered. Turns out, what grew up around it needed to last — and it did.
What the marker says
Early Texas town. Near site where Old Ox-Cart Road from San Antonio to Indianola crossed the Ojo de Agua (Spanish name meaning "eye of water" or spring) Creek. Here pioneer travelers found essentials of water, wood, and grass. Numerous Indian artifacts found nearby indicate that Karankawas, Tonkawas, Apaches, and Comanches camped or hunted in vicinity. First Anglo-American settlement here, in early 1850s, was named Sulphur Springs; in the late 1850s and 1860s the place was called Mineral Spring. In 1886 a group of Cuero merchants known as H. Runge and Company bought a large tract of land on which they platted the townsite of Runge. The San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad, called the "SAP", extended its line from Kenedy toward Houston and built a depot, a switch, and stockpens at Runge. The first post office was established here September 20, 1887. By 1890 Runge had grown to be the largest town in Karnes County. The public schools were organized in 1891 and Runge citizens engaged in many typical pioneer social and civic activities, including weekly band concerts held in the town square. The economy of the region has been sustained by farming, ranching, dairying, and petroleum production.