Cloud Point
Junction, Kimble County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A landmark for many years for soldiers and others who journeyed along the roads that traversed this terrain, Cloud Point is the name given to the cliff overlooking the Llano River valley and the valley of Johnson Fork Creek. The geographic feature was named for the family of William Johnston Cloud, a Civil War veteran, who purchased property in this part of Kimble County and located his home near this site. Early roads that passed by Cloud Point included the Upper Presidio Road, from Kerrville to Fort McKavett; the Military Road from Fort Terrett to San Antonio; and the transcontinental Old Spanish Trail. No longer on the main route since the 1970s, Cloud Point remains a local point of interest. (2001)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Cloud Point is the cliff commanding the junction of the Llano River valley and Johnson Fork Creek, long a natural landmark for soldiers and travelers crossing this rugged Hill Country terrain. Its name honors the family of Civil War veteran William Johnston Cloud, who bought land nearby and made his home in view of the bluff. Beneath it once ran a web of historic routes—the Upper Presidio Road, the military road from Fort Terrett to San Antonio, and the transcontinental Old Spanish Trail—though modern highways bypassed it in the 1970s.
Why it matters
The point marks the vanished lattice of military and emigrant roads that once knit together frontier Texas, when a single cliff could orient an entire region's travelers.
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Related people
- · William Johnston Cloud
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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