Salado

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Salado, Bell County. Now, some towns just spring up out of nowhere, and some towns — well, some towns have been pulling people in for a long, long time before anybody ever got around to naming them. Salado is the second kind.

Long before the town had a name on any map, Native Americans and Spanish explorers were already passing through this spring-fed land. The explorers used the word salado — meaning salty — to describe the area. Likely, they were confusing Salado Creek with the Lampasas River.

An easy mistake to make, maybe, but the name stuck all the same. By 1852, there was enough of a community here that a post office opened up to serve folks along the Burney and Blair Stage Line running between Austin and Waco. People were coming through, stopping, and some of them were deciding to stay.

Hotels followed — including the Salado Hotel — and a settlement started taking shape. Then came 1859, and that's when things got official. Colonel E.

S. C. Robertson donated land for a townsite and for a college.

Colonel Hermon Aiken drew up a plat, and the town developed along its main street. Just like that, Salado had a shape, a plan, and a future. And that future came on fast.

Salado College opened in 1860, drawing individuals to the growing community. Thomas Arnold High School was established by Dr. Samuel Jones.

A school on land donated by W. K. Hamblen eventually closed in 1969 and became a community center.

Education was serious business in Salado. By the 1860s, the town had built itself a thriving economy — farming, ranching, milling, mineral baths, and education all working together. Then in 1873, Salado earned another distinction: it hosted the first Texas branch of the Grange, a national fraternal agrarian order, right here in this little Bell County town.

That same year, Salado hosted Bell County's first Agricultural Fair. The fair moved to Belton in 1876, but for a moment there, Salado was the center of it all. By the 1890s, several churches had organized in town as well.

And then — well, then things got quiet. Awful quiet. Salado became a virtual ghost town in the early decades of the twentieth century.

By 1950, the population had dwindled to around two hundred and fifty souls. You could almost hear the wind moving through. But here's the thing about a town that has been pulling people in since before it had a name — it doesn't give up that easy.

Retirees moved in. The arts got promoted. Life came back.

And in the year 2000, Salado incorporated again, stepping back into the world as a viable community ready to carry its story into the twenty-first century. From Spanish explorers mixin' up their creeks, to a college town, to a ghost town, to a comeback — Salado has seen just about every chapter a Texas town can write.

What the marker says

Salado was officially established in 1859 when Col. E. S. C. Robertson donated land for a townsite and for a college. Col. Hermon Aiken drew a plat for the town, which developed along its main street. However, there had been activity here long before this time, as Native Americans and Spanish Explorers, among others, came through the spring-fed land. The explorers used the term salado, meaning salty, in referring to this area, likely confusing Salado Creek and the Lampasas River. By 1852, a post office opened to serve a growing community on the Burney and Blair Stage Line from Austin to Waco. Several hotels opened in the settlement, including the Salado Hotel. By the 1860s, Salado developed a thriving economy based on farming ranching, milling, mineral baths, and education. Salado College opened in 1860, attracting many individuals to the growing community. Additional schools were built, including Thomas Arnold High School, which was established by Dr. Samuel Jones, and a school on land donated by W. K. Hamblen, which closed in 1969 and became a community center. In 1873, the first Texas branch of the Grange, a national fraternal agrarian order, opened in Salado. Salado hosted Bell countys first Agricultural Fair that same year; the fair moved to Belton in 1876. By the 1890s, several churched had also organized in Salado. Salado became a virtual ghost town in the early decades of the 20th century; the population was around 250 in 1950, but since that time, Salado has experienced continued growth. Revitalization occurred when retirees moved here and with promotion of the arts. In 2000, Salado again incorporated, and today remains a viable community into the 21st century. (2009)