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Between 1858 and 1877, Callahan County was attached
successively to Bexar County, Travis County, and Eastland
County for administrative and judicial purposes. In 1877 the
residents, more than 150 strong, signed a petition requesting
the organization of Callahan County. At the election of July
3, 1877, Callahan City became the first county seat, a
position the town retained only until the election of October
13, 1877, when Belle Plain was voted in as the new county
seat. An election on January 16, 1883, made Baird the new
county seat.
During the 1880s extensive farming was introduced. Settlers
from East Texas began farming in the area around Cottonwood in
the mid-1880s, raising cotton, oats, and various varieties of
fruit. Despite the impressive growth of agriculture, however,
ranching continued to form the mainstay of the economy. The
total number of cattle in the county during the period from
1890 and 1930 ranged between 25,000 and 35,000. Most were beef
cattle, although dairying became more popular after the turn
of the century, and for a time the county was a major producer
of butter. |