Cross Mountain
Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This marl and limestone hill, elevation 1,915 feet, was an Indian signal point, advancing news of the intrusions of white settlers. The hill was first recorded and described by the German geologist, Dr. Ferdinand Roemer in 1847. A timber cross found on the hilltop the same year suggests that Spanish missionaries recognized it as a landmark on the path from San Antonio to Mission San Saba. John Christian Durst (1825-1898), arriving with his family in 1847 from Germany, received a town lot and 10 acres of land, including this hill. On finding the cross, he named it "Kreuzberg," or Cross Mountain. The Easter fires on Cross Mountain and the surrounding hills recall a German tradition of burning the old growth to make way for the new, and also commemorate the 1847 treaty made by John O. Meusebach and the settlers to establish peace with the Comanche nation. In 1849, a Bohemian priest, Father George Menzel, erected a more substantial cross as a symbol of redemption and civilization. Easter Sunrise Services were held on the mountain for many years prior to 1941. In 1946 the Very Rev. F. X. Wolf threw the switch to illuminate the permanent cross of metal and concrete built by St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Long an Indian signal point rising 1,915 feet, this limestone hill was recorded in 1847 by German geologist Ferdinand Roemer, who arrived as German colonists settled the Fredericksburg area. Settler John Christian Durst, finding an old timber cross on its summit, named it Kreuzberg, or Cross Mountain. Its Easter fires recall both a German folk tradition and the 1847 Meusebach treaty that made peace with the Comanche nation.
Why it matters
The hill layers Native American, Spanish, and German histories in one place, marking the meeting of the Comanche world and the immigrant settlement of the Texas Hill Country.
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Related people
- · Ferdinand Roemer
- · John O. Meusebach
- · John Christian Durst
Related events
- · Meusebach-Comanche Treaty
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
John O. Meusebach
Cherry Spring, TX
John O. Meusebach gave up a German baron's title in 1845 to become a Texan, and as commissioner-general of the German Emigration Company he founded Fredericksburg in 1846 as a gateway to the Fisher-Miller grant deep in Comanche country. Rather than fight, he rode unarmed into a council and secured a treaty that opened the land to settlement without bloodshed — earning the Comanche name "El Sol Colorado," the Red Sun. He later served as a state senator and settled at Loyal Valley, adding "Texas forever" to his family motto.
Heinrich Kensing_Johanna Borchers Kensing
Cherry Spring, TX
Heinrich and Johanna Borchers Kensing were German immigrants who reached Texas in 1845 and settled in Gillespie County before moving into Mason County. In July 1865 the couple were attacked by Indians near Platt Kopf; Heinrich died at once, and Johanna died three days later at a neighbor's house, leaving seven children. A 1972 marker records their fate on the exposed Hill Country frontier.
Herman and Willie Lehmann
Loyal Valley, TX
German immigrants Moritz and Auguste Lehmann settled along Squaw Creek in the 1850s Hill Country, where in 1870 raiders seized their young sons Herman and Willie. Willie was freed within days, but ten-year-old Herman lived eight years among the Apache and Comanche, adopted into Quanah Parker's family. Returned to his German family by soldiers in 1878, Herman remained torn between two worlds and kept his Comanche ties for the rest of his life.
Homesite of John O. Meusebach
Mason vicinity, TX
Taking over leadership of the German colonies from Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, John O. Meusebach guided settlement into the Hill Country and secured a treaty with the Comanches that opened the land between the Llano and San Saba rivers to peaceful settlement. He later retired to a farm on this ground, and the German colonists he brought left a lasting imprint on Texas through their thrift, craft, and blending of Old World custom with frontier necessity.