| Marker Number |
2403 |
| Atlas Number |
5441002403 |
| Marker Title |
Site of Old Headquarters of the Hashknife Ranch |
| Index Entry |
Hashknife Ranch, Site of the Old Headquarters of the |
| Address |
500 E Ambler Ave |
| City |
Abilene |
| County |
Taylor |
| UTM Zone |
14 |
| UTM Easting |
432138 |
| UTM Northing |
3592748 |
| Subject Codes |
ranches/ranching; railroads; cattle, cattle industry topics |
| Marker Year |
2007 |
| Designations |
|
| Marker Location |
Will Hair Park. Replaced 1968 marker. |
| Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
| Marker Text |
(on hill east of Cedar Creek)
In December 1880, H.C. Whithers of the Texas & Pacific Railroad met local men here to decide on a site for a cattle shipping center. Bypassing the county seat of Buffalo Gap, the railroad platted a new town named Abilene for the famous cattle town in Kansas. Cattlemen meeting with Whithers were Dallas banker and Hashknife Ranch co-owner John N. Simpson, and Confederate Colonels Claiborne W. (Clabe) and J.D. Merchant, twin brothers and ranchers who moved to Callahan County six years earlier. Brisk bidding ensued at a sale of city lots in March 1881. Abilene grew quickly and became a significant regional city of west Texas. (1968, 2007) |
