In December of 1854, two very weary families halted their wagons on land that would eventually become Comanche County.
Francis Marion Collier and wife and Jesse Mercer and family, after four long months on the trail had settled on land that would
later be called Comanche. In 1856 the Texas Legislature formed Comanche County from Bosque and Coryell counties. The
county was named for the Indians that had roamed this land for decades before F. M. Collier built the first log house in 1855.
Cora was the first county seat and the 1860 U. S. Census listed the town of Cora and the village of Comanche with a
total population for the county at 709. The log courthouse which was used at Cora and moved to several locations was
moved to the town of Comanche and restored in 1984. It still stands on the courthouse square and is believed to be the
oldest standing log cabin courthouse in Texas. There have been four other court house buildings in Comanche and the one
presently being used was dedicated in 1940.
During the Civil War the settlers were essentially unprotected as most able-bodied men headed off to fight the war and
many settlers left. This caused the population to get down to about 60 in 1866. The Indian problems continued until well
into the 1870’s. By 1880 the population had grown to 8,600 and reached its peak with over 27,000 in 1910. The popu-
lation declined down to 11,865 in 1950 and was at just over 14,000 in 2000.
Ranching has always been an important industry in the county with early settlers growing grain and cotton. In the early
‘30’s a severe drought and the boll weevil destroyed the cotton crop and drove many farmers out of business and many
folks left Comanche County. For several decades the primary crop was peanuts and the number one farm industry was
dairying. Dairies are still plentiful, but the peanut growth has almost ceased. Hay and grains are the field crops most often
grown in the year 2007. Comanche also produces nuts, fruits and vegetables . Dairy farms and cattle ranches are still
numerous. Oil was first discovered in Comanche County in 1918 and was significant in the early 1920’s. Some wells are
still producing in 2007. In recent years several hundred acres have been leased to construct wind farms.
Although Comanche County has had more than 170 schools, it now has only four public schools located in the following towns:
Comanche, De Leon, Gustine and Sidney. Paradigm Accelerated Charter School began operation in Comanche in the fall
of 2007, and Ranger College has a campus in Comanche. There are at least 45 active churches and over 80 cemeteries in
the county. Many cemeteries are well kept by cemetery associations but some of them have not been used in years and lack
proper care.
In 2005 a 38-bed acute care hospital was opened on Highway 16 north between Comanche and De Leon which serves the
county. The county has Wellness Centers in the towns of Comanche and De Leon and Home Health and Hospice care are
available. The county has an airport in the town of Comanche, and a country club and golf course near Proctor Lake (a 4,500
acre facility).
Comanche has been a Texas Main Street city since 2005 and has experienced considerable renovation to the historic down-
town square which houses antique stores, restaurants and specialty shops. Located just off the square is an excellent library
which is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday all day (closed on Thursday) and open Saturday mornings. There
is a Historical Museum with a blacksmith shop, one-room school room, Children’s Room with antique toys, a saloon,
numerous antique farm equipment and tools. The museum is open on Saturday afternoons from 2 - 4. Two newspapers,
The Comanche Chief, and the De Leon Free Press, are published weekly. Comanche County also has an FM and AM
radio station. Several volunteer fire departments, an emergency management team and numerous service clubs and
organizations are active in the county.
