Cedar Park, TX - Texas Hill Country

The Cedar Park area, including Leander has a rich and colorful history from prehistoric settlers, to Spanish explorers, Indian skirmishes, through the Civil War, and up to today.  Some believe the area that we know today as the Cedar Park - Leander area has been inhabited for over 10,000 years. The Anthropology Department of the University of Texas explored several Indian artifacts in the 1930s, estimated to be 9,000 years old. In 1983 archaeologists found one of the oldest and most complete prehistoric human skeletons while building RM 1431 freom Cedar Park with Round Rock and IH 35. They called her the Leanderthal lady after nearby Leander because it rhymed well with Neanderthal, though the skeleton was found nearer to Cedar Park. This archaeological site, Wilson-Leonard shows evidence of continuous habitation of the Cedar Park - Leander area since at least 5000 BC.

In 1716, the Spanish explored this area to establish missions, and the referred to the area as "Arroyo de los Benditas Animas" or Creek of the Blessed Souls.

The Texas Rangers built an outpost to protect against Indian attacks in the area  in the early 1800s . In 1815 a Texas Ranger, John Tumlinson took sixty men to present day Williamson County. These rangers was charged with protecting local settlers from Indian attacks. They built the Tumlinson Fort (or Tumlinson Blockhouse) at the headwaters of Brushy Creek in 1836. During the War for Texas Independence, when Santa Ana invaded Texas, the rangers abandoned the fort and joined the fight. Years later, one of the original Rangers visited the area and found that Indians had destroyed the fort in their absence.

In 1839, John Webster lead a party of thirteen settlers to establish a settlement in West Texas. They found a large group of Indians between the North and South forks of the San Gabriel River. The Webster party attempted to reach the security of the settlements on the Colorado but was overtaken near Brushy Creek. In the battle all the men were killed, and Mrs. Webster and her two children were taken captive. The massacre victims were buried at Davis cemetery, one and a half miles east of present day Leander. Mrs. Webster and her daughter escaped from the Comanches when they were near San Antonio for a prisoner exchange meeting. The Webster son, who was held by another group of Indians, was traded in a ransom demand two years later.

Cedar Park, Texas is at Cluck Creek and US Highway 183 approximately sixteen miles northwest of Cedarpark in Williamson County. It was once called  named Running Brushy, after a large spring that formed the headwaters of Cluck Creek. George Cluck and his wife Harriet went on a cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail n 1871. Harriet was the first woman to go on the drive. In 1873 the Clucks bought land that included Running Brushy Spring. Their ranch and home became the focal point for a new community. A post office was built in 1874 for the Running Brushy town. Joel Sutton was the postmaster thru December 1874, and then Harriet Cluck took the job, and continued for eight years.

The Cedarpark and Northwest Railroad company was incorporated with a charter for a narrow gage railroad connecting Cedarpark to Burnet in April of 1881. The railroad company planned to build a rail line between Cedarpark and Abilene. The railroad was completed from Cedarpark to Burnet in 1882 , crossing the Cluck ranch in Running Brushy. The deed called for a sidetrack to be built. The railroad company insisted on changing the name of the community to Brueggerhoff, the name of a company official. Emmett Cluck, the son of George and Harriet, renamed the town Cedar Park in 1887, because of the park like surroundings. George Cluck sold the railroad company a lot adjoining the railroad in 1892, when , and the deed included provisions for a park and a building to house plants. For many years the park was used as a town hall meeting place. In the 1890s Limestone for building became a major product of Cedar Park  and continued to be important until about 1970. Cedar fence posts were also a major product during this period.

The community name of  Bruggerhoff was hard to pronounce, hard to spell, and generally disliked. Emmett Cluck, the son of George and Harriet, changed the name of the town to Cedar Park in 1887, . The locals liked this name better, and it was accepted by postal officials. In 1892, a park was constructed that was approximately a half acre or less. The Park was landscaped with trees, shrubs, flowers, benches and colored pebbles. Numerous people from Cedarpark would ride the train to Cedar Park and visit the park, Cedar Park one of Cedarpark's first Country Clubs.

There was not much change until the 1950s and 1960s when subdivisions and houses were built in the area, spurred by the growth of Cedarpark. In 1970, the population of Cedar Park was only 125 residents, 24 businesses, and two churches. In February of 1973 the citizens of Cedar Park voted to incorporate. In 1978, the city of Leander was incorporated.

In 2000, Leander's population had increased to 7,596. Leander's current population is near 15,000.  In 1990 Cedar Park's population  reached 5,000 residents and then and in 2000 it was 26,000 residents, making Cedar Park one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

Thorough effort has been made to provide accurate event information; however, always confirm dates and times with the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce at 512-260-7800.

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For more information contact:
Scott O'Neill 830-928-3926
Mitchell Moorhead 830-928-3927

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For more information contact:
Scott O'Neill 830-928-3926
Mitchell Moorhead 830-928-3927

Texas Hill Country - Hill Country of TX