Callahan City, Texas
Encyclopedia
Callahan City is a ghost town
in Callahan County
, Texas
, United States
.
, the community hosted several merchants who served the trail drivers
who passed through the area along with more than 100,000 head of cattle through the mid to late 1870s.
Though a spot of some local importance, Callahan City's relatively remote location hindered its growth; local merchants often had to wait a month or more for goods to be freighted in from Fort Worth
. The community was dealt a severe blow in December 1877 when it lost the county seat
to neighboring Belle Plain
in a hotly contested election. In 1880, Callahan City was bypassed by the railroad, and the few remaining residents dispersed leaving the town all but abandoned. Today, the former cemetery is all that remains of the community.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Callahan County
Callahan County, Texas
*Baird*Belle Plain*Callahan City*Clyde*Cottonwood*Cross Plains*Eula*Putnam-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Callahan County, Texas-External links:* at the University of Texas*...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Founded in 1876, Callahan City was envisioned as a center of commerce and government for the then quite sparsely populated Callahan County. Located along the Western Trail to Dodge CityDodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
, the community hosted several merchants who served the trail drivers
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
who passed through the area along with more than 100,000 head of cattle through the mid to late 1870s.
Though a spot of some local importance, Callahan City's relatively remote location hindered its growth; local merchants often had to wait a month or more for goods to be freighted in from Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. The community was dealt a severe blow in December 1877 when it lost the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
to neighboring Belle Plain
Belle Plain, Texas
Belle Plain is a ghost town in Callahan County, Texas, United States.-History:In 1875, a man named Nelson M. Smith purchased land on which he planned to build a college...
in a hotly contested election. In 1880, Callahan City was bypassed by the railroad, and the few remaining residents dispersed leaving the town all but abandoned. Today, the former cemetery is all that remains of the community.