5 Things You Didn’t Know About Junction

The Texas Hill Country is known for its scenic vistas, historic dance halls, and interesting wine trails. It is also home to picturesque small towns, brimming with tradition, history and some of the nicest residents you’ll ever meet.

Junction, Texas was founded in 1876 and named for its location where the North and South Llano Rivers meet. Here are some more tidbits you might not have known about Junction.

1. Deer Horn Tree

Photo: picshype.com

Junction is one of the most popular areas in Central Texas for whitetail deer hunting. The county’s estimated deer population is one for every 7.5 acres of land. In 1968, the Kimble Business and Professional Women’s Club created the Deer Horn Tree to celebrate the area’s hunting heritage. They claim it is one of the most photographed attractions in Texas.

If you’re visiting Junction, you can’t miss the Deer Horn tree, as it is located in the center of town on Main Street. It stands about 12 feet high and is constructed entirely out of deer antlers. The tree has the shape of a Christmas tree, and a lighted star is placed on top during the holidays.

2. Home of the Junction Boys

Photo: junctiontexas.com

Here’s a little Texas football history. Texas A&M University hired Paul “Bear” Bryant to coach the Aggie football team in 1954. He immediately began to clean house and get rid of the dead weight bringing down the team. Bryant held a 10-day football camp in Junction that summer to prepare the team for the upcoming season. He chose Junction, because he felt the players needed to be away from campus distractions so they could focus on football.

Practices began before dawn, lasted all day, and ended with evening meetings until 11:00 PM. Central Texas was in the middle of a heat wave and the worst drought in history. The oppressive weather conditions combined with the long practice days proved too much for many of the players. Every day brought fewer and fewer players to practice. In the end, the group of players who made it to the end of camp earned the nickname the “Junction Boys.”

3. Outdoor Women Gone Wild

Photo: Outdoor Women Gone WILD’s Facebook

This annual event takes place on the third Saturday in April and it is for women only. The Kimble County Chamber of Commerce & Junction Tourism launched this event to promote outdoor activities, new experiences, friendship and fun for women 14 years and older. Spectators and children are not allowed, and the only men permitted on site are class instructors.

Activities range from indoor, tabletop projects to challenging outdoor tasks. Classes included fishing and fly fishing, tomahawk throwing, kayaking, wild game processing, wagon driving, target shooting, various crafts projects, self defense, water witching, archery, leather tooling, and safety education.

4. Easter Pageant

Photo: junctiontexas.com

The Easter Pageant takes place in the evening on a beautiful hillside beneath the bluff known as Lover’s Leap. Local thespians present a reenactment of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ in an outdoor theater created by the hills natural state. Volunteers have produced this event for over 60 years, despite the unpredictable Hill Country weather. It has never been canceled, and performances have gone on through record rainfall, heat, sleet and snow.

The pageant began in 1948, when Coke Stevenson taught the first Men’s Bible Class outdoor class. Stevenson is a Kimble County native and served as Governor of Texas from 1941-1947.

5. Land of Living Waters

Photo: junctiontexas.com

Junction is known as ” The Land of Living Waters,” because there is more flowing water in Junction and Kimble County than any other county in Texas. The town was built where the North and South Llano Rivers meet, and hundreds of springs in the surrounding area feed these waterways.

This flowing water creates a rich habitat for native Hill Country wildlife, and it helped Junction become a successful ranching community. Naturally, Junction offers an abundance of water activities, including fishing, kayaking, and canoeing.