DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the rural communities of western Mills County. Now settle in, because this is a story about people who came looking for something good — and found it, built on it, and then watched the world carry it away. Pioneers migrated to western Mills County drawn by rich soil and an ample water supply.
That kind of promise has a way of pulling folks west, and pull it did. Three communities took root out there, each one with a name it was born under and a name it grew into. The community of Regency — originally called Hannah Valley — received a post office in 1889.
Ebony, which started life as Buffalo, was organized by area residents back in 1879. And then there was the Ridge, originally known as Cold Springs, which formed in 1888. All three of them built churches, schools, the kinds of institutions that say we're not just passing through — we're staying.
The Ridge even put up a school building in 1931, and that building later found a second life as a community center. Three communities, three fresh names, three sets of roots going down deep into that western Mills County soil. But here's where the story turns.
During World War II, the U.S. Government purchased land in the region to form Camp Bowie. And when the war ended, many residents simply did not return.
The towns declined. Today, few vestiges of Regency remain. The soil is still rich out there.
The water still runs. But the communities that once called that land home — well, they're mostly just a marker's memory now.
What the marker says
Pioneers migrated to western Mills county to take advantage of the area's rich soil and ample water supply. The community of Regency, (originally Hannah Valley) received a post office in 1889. Today, few vestiges of Regency remain. Other area residents organized the Ebony community (originally Buffalo) in 1879. Regency and Ebony had churches, schools and other institutions. The Ridge community (originally Cold Springs) formed in 1888. The Ridge school building, built in 1931, was later used as a community center. During World War II, the U.S. Government purchased land in the region to form Camp Bowie. The towns declined when many residents did not return following the war.