City of Krum
Krum, Denton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located in west-central Denton County, the city of Krum began as a pioneer settlement, known as the Jackson community, near present-day Krum Jackson Cemetery in 1876. Soon, the families decided to establish a school. Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Barrett and C.H. Jackson deeded land for the school and a cemetery. The town of Krum was founded in 1886 when the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway purchased acreage from Louis L. and Gabrilla Finley for the town site, named in honor of Charles K. Krum, a railroad official. Businesses quickly opened and a home for the station agent was built in town. The post office was established in 1888 and was first housed in the Finley store with S.D. Chadwell serving as the first postmaster until Mr. Finley took over later that year. A hardware store, blacksmith shop, saloon, drug store and a hotel opened to serve the growing town. To serve the community's spiritual needs, the First Baptist Church organized in 1882 in the Jackson schoolhouse, and in 1891 the Methodist church moved from the Jackson community to Krum. The Church of Christ of Krum was established in 1893 and the Presbyterian church in 1901. The rich soil in the region produced bountiful wheat harvests for which the town became famous, known as the largest inland grain market in the early 1900s. Wheat grown in the area earned awards, including the grand prize for the "Rainbow Flour" at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Agricultural production plants and factories were established to process goods, and banks opened to assist families and businesses in the area. Krum was officially incorporated in 1955 and continues to focus on the growth of this rural town while preserving its rich historical heritage. (2017)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Krum grew from an 1876 pioneer settlement known as the Jackson community into a proper town in 1886, when the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway bought land and named the station for railroad official Charles K. Krum. Stores, churches, and a post office quickly followed, but it was the region's rich soil that made Krum famous, drawing renown as one of the largest inland grain markets of the early 1900s. Local wheat even won the grand prize for 'Rainbow Flour' at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Why it matters
Krum's story ties together the two forces that built the Texas plains, the railroad and the wheat harvest, showing how a rail depot could turn fertile prairie into a booming grain market.
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Related people
- · Charles K. Krum
- · Louis L. Finley
Related events
- · 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Themes & tags
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