School at Kimball
Kimball Bend, today, is an Army Corps. of Engineers park along Highway 174 in Bosque County Texas, near the Brazos River bridge. It’s a great place to spend several days, if you have an RV and a boat. It has river access and is located close to Lake Whitney. The park has been improved sometime in the last few years and I hear it’s a good stay.
The present day park is at the site of the Brazos River crossing of the early day Chisholm Trail. Although the route of the Chisholm Trail seems to be some what a subject of debate, the fact that the trail crossed the river here seems sure. In 1868, about the same time the Chisholm Trail got its start, there was also a ferry at this location. Cattle drives through this area brought prosperity until about 1875 when the drives shifted westward.
Today, ruins of three historic structures remain at this site: The ferry operator’s house, remnants of a store, and the Kimball Public School. All thought the property is an Army Corps. of Engineers park, I was allowed free access when I asked about the historic site.
For the sake of your own experience, you might call ahead if you intend to stop here. As a historic site, this is not that compelling a place that it would merit a trip of its own. Consider a stop here if your passing through.
Gallery
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- Kimball Public School
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- Ferry House
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- Store
Location
Kimball Bend Park (TX)
3350 HWY 174
Kopperl TX 76652
County: Bosque
Copyright © 2009 by Sam Fenstermacher
All rights reserved
This town was founded by my great grandmother and her sister Nellie Bailey-Kimball, and Lee Johnson, Mollie Bailey’s husband, all worked and crossed the river, and lived in this town. I have some pics of the family with their wagons. Also, Jennie Bailey-Bush is my great aunt and my grandmother’s sister.
Do you have any evidence of a cattle drive ( Chisholm ) going through Meridian, Texas before the crossing at Kimball bend?
Ron
From an article in the Handbook of Texas Online the trail is compared to the roots of a tree. So, this far south the trail was not a straight line. In this article they describe the trail as going from Austin to Fort Worth and on to Decatur. The river crossings were better defined. Waco and Kimball Bend were river crossings. This page on the Texas Historical Commission web site lists towns on the trail. Also have a look at this brochure from the commission.
The Chisholm Trail cattle drives occurred very early in Texas history. The THC brochure claims the drives had shifted west by the second half of the 1870′s with the bulk of the cattle having passed north before that. Meridian was not incorporated as a town until 1874.
As I looked around I could find no info to suggest that Meridian was on the trail. But the history is so dodgy on this subject that we are free to debate this point as we wish. Thank you for the great question.
Ron, I only have small info on the family history, except for what my Nanny and her siblings have told me; however, I do have photos of them with wagons traveling from AR, OK, and TX. Don’t know just where these pics were taken, only that they were in mostly of TX and family. My cousin is a Kimball and her grandmother and my great grandmather were sisters. The Bailey, Johnson, Kimball, and Bush family is what I know about, but mostly the Johnson family since my grandpa was Lee Johnson and his wife was Mollie Charlotte Bailey-Johnson.
My my mother’s father was Gaylord Morris (or Morrison) who was from OK and TX. We have very little on his family or him. He lived in Fredericks, OK in 1930.