Luling is in Caldwell County, 45 miles south of Austin. Artifacts found in the county date habitation by small bands of hunter-gatherers to 10,000 years ago. Some of these early inhabitants may be ancestors of the Tonkawa Indians who appear to have been indigenous to the area. Apache and Comanche Indians also lived there.
Anglo settlement began in the 1820s when it was part of Green Dewitt's colony. Early land grants were primarily along the San Marcos River and Plum Creek. By 1848 a growing population required formal local government and the state formed Caldwell County, naming it after Mathew Caldwell.
In 1860 the census counted 4,481 residents including 1,610 slaves. Livestock drove the economy with 33,000 cows and around 12,000 hogs kept. By 1880 farms were growing in importance, growing corn, wheat, cotton, sorghum and hay.
Founded as a railroad town in 1874, Luling served as the Western Terminus of Southern Pacific Railroads Sunset Branch. The Chisholm Trail ran nearby and the cowboys rowdy ways and disdain for authority earned Luling the nickname as "The toughest town in Texas".
When the great cattle drives ended Luling became a sleepy little town of around 500. This changed dramatically on August 9 1922. On that day Edgar B. Davis' Rafeal Rios No. 1 struck oil near Stairtown, six miles northwest of Luling. As news of the discovery spread men in search of work flowed into Luling, swelling the population to over 5,000. The oil field grew to twelve miles long and two miles wide, at its peak producing 15 million barrels per year.
With little housing available, single men and entire families slept under trees, wagons and bridges, anywhere that offered some protection. Soon a tent city known as "Ragtown" sprang up along the railroad tracks. There one could find saloons, gambling dens and brothels.
Luling and the county are calmer these days. Oil and natural gas production peaked in the 1970s but are still important to the local economy. North of town oil field service companies line both sides of Hwy. 183. As more and more people seek to escape the congestion of Austin and Travis County Luling is experiencing a mini population boom. Many of these new residents are people in their 20s and 30s and they are fueling a lively arts and music scene.
Anglo settlement began in the 1820s when it was part of Green Dewitt's colony. Early land grants were primarily along the San Marcos River and Plum Creek. By 1848 a growing population required formal local government and the state formed Caldwell County, naming it after Mathew Caldwell.
In 1860 the census counted 4,481 residents including 1,610 slaves. Livestock drove the economy with 33,000 cows and around 12,000 hogs kept. By 1880 farms were growing in importance, growing corn, wheat, cotton, sorghum and hay.
Founded as a railroad town in 1874, Luling served as the Western Terminus of Southern Pacific Railroads Sunset Branch. The Chisholm Trail ran nearby and the cowboys rowdy ways and disdain for authority earned Luling the nickname as "The toughest town in Texas".
When the great cattle drives ended Luling became a sleepy little town of around 500. This changed dramatically on August 9 1922. On that day Edgar B. Davis' Rafeal Rios No. 1 struck oil near Stairtown, six miles northwest of Luling. As news of the discovery spread men in search of work flowed into Luling, swelling the population to over 5,000. The oil field grew to twelve miles long and two miles wide, at its peak producing 15 million barrels per year.
With little housing available, single men and entire families slept under trees, wagons and bridges, anywhere that offered some protection. Soon a tent city known as "Ragtown" sprang up along the railroad tracks. There one could find saloons, gambling dens and brothels.
Luling and the county are calmer these days. Oil and natural gas production peaked in the 1970s but are still important to the local economy. North of town oil field service companies line both sides of Hwy. 183. As more and more people seek to escape the congestion of Austin and Travis County Luling is experiencing a mini population boom. Many of these new residents are people in their 20s and 30s and they are fueling a lively arts and music scene.
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