Details for Gunsight Community

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5429002306

Data

Marker Number 2306
Atlas Number 5429002306
Marker Title Gunsight Community
Index Entry Gunsight Community
Address Off US 183 on CR 157 S of Breckenridge
City Breckenridge
County Stephens
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 511877
UTM Northing 3600466
Subject Codes cities and towns; oil/petroleum topics; ghost towns
Marker Year 1994
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location From Breckenridge take US 183 south about 15 miles; take CR 157 east about 2 miles to marker in Gunsight Community.
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 18" x 28"
Marker Text Records indicate that Gunsight existed on a wagon road from Fort Griffin to Stephenville in 1858. Settlement of the town, however, did not occur until the 1870s. The first recorded burial here was that of Lewis McCleskey is 1877. Gunsight developed as a stage stop and by 1880 contained a post office, school, two churches, gristmill, general store, and a cotton gin. The local economy, sustained by cotton farming and ranching, was boosted by an area oil boom in the 1920s. The town began a steady decline after World War II and today consists of a few houses, a few buildings, and this cemetery.

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