A fork in the road, a bend in the river… phrases that are used when giving directions. But for Bend, Texas, the bend in the river means so much more.
Fiesta Winery
Lifestyle
Bend, Texas – The Nature Lover’s Paradise
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Bend’s Unique History
Photo: morguefile.com
Situated on a horseshoe bend on the Colorado River between Lampasas and San Saba counties, Bend was established in 1854 by three Tennessee brothers. First called Schleicher’s Bend after Gustav Schleicher, a German-born civil engineer who established a communist commune on the banks of the Llano River, the town became known as McAnelly’s Bend after Robert Daugherty McAnelly when the commune failed and Schleicher moved on to New Braunfels. McAnelly established a post office in 1856 at the settlement, but two years later it closed. A new post office opened on the San Saba side of the river in 1858 in the home of a ferry operator and the town was renamed simply Bend. The settlement on the Lampasas side of the river became known as Little Bend.
Photo: morguefile.com
The town grew in the 1870s and 1880s, supporting local farmers and cattlemen with churches, craft shops, a cotton gin, gristmill, general store and a hotel. Cotton, corn, and cattle gave way to the pecan industry in the early 1900s. Thomas I. Hollis owned the largest producing pecan tree grown on the banks of the Colorado River, producing over 1,000 pounds of pecans in a single season. Named Jumbo Hollis after the size of its fruit and its owner, the tree was known to produce 33 nuts per pound while other native trees ranged in the area of 70-80 nuts per pound.
