Simpson Crawford

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Simpson Crawford, right here in Palo Pinto County. Now, some men come to Texas looking for something. Others come to Texas because Texas has a way of pulling a man in whether he planned on it or not.

Simpson Crawford was born in Kentucky in 1824, and before he ever set eyes on this county, he'd already seen a good deal of the world. He served in the Mexican War, the years 1846 to 1848, and not on some quiet stretch of the frontier either. He was at Vera Cruz and Mexico City.

Let that settle for a moment. Vera Cruz. Mexico City.

Then he came back to Kentucky, married Elizabeth Evans, and you might think that was the end of the adventure. You would be wrong. In 1852, Simpson and Elizabeth Crawford packed up and moved to Texas, settling first in Titus County.

Then in 1854, they came to Palo Pinto County, and they built a home right out there in the Keechi Valley area of Peters Colony, about three quarters of a mile northwest of where you're standing. Crawford went to work. He ranched.

He built something. Three thousand one hundred acres, that's what the man put together. And on top of that, he served in the Texas Rangers.

A man of range and law both. Then in 1858, his first wife Elizabeth died. Four years later, he married Mary Brown.

Simpson Crawford lived on until 1908, and when he finally laid down that long life, they buried him in Crawford Cemetery, a mile and a half north of here. A Kentucky boy who rode to Vera Cruz, built a home in a new county, and left his name on the land itself. That's a life the marker was right to remember.

What the marker says

A native of Kentucky, Simpson Crawford (1824-1908) served in the Mexican War (1846-48) at Vera Cruz and Mexico City. Following the war he returned to Kentucky and married Elizabeth Evans. In 1852 they moved to Texas, settling first in Titus County. In 1854 they came to Palo Pinto County and built a home (3/4 mile northwest) in the Keechi Valley area of Peters Colony. A successful rancher owning 3100 acres, Crawford also served in the Texas Rangers. His first wife died in 1858 and he married Mary Brown four years later. He is buried in Crawford Cemetery (1.5 miles north). (1980)