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Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Home of Monroe Dodson

Burkburnett, Wichita County, Texas

Marker Inscription

(1844-1927) Tennessean and former Union soldier under Gen. Grant. Came to Texas 1867, here 1878. First permanent settler here. Helped build church, school, Masonic Lodge. His cattle brand (Half Circle D) was the second registered in the county. Married twice, he had eleven children.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

A Tennessee-born Union veteran who had served under Ulysses S. Grant, Monroe Dodson came to Texas in 1867 and settled this stretch of Wichita County in 1878 as its first permanent resident. He helped raise the local church, school, and Masonic lodge, registered one of the county's earliest cattle brands, and raised eleven children on the open range.

Why it matters

Dodson embodies the post-Civil War pioneers who carried old loyalties west and knit raw frontier country into settled communities of churches, schools, and cattle brands.

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Related people

  • · Monroe Dodson
  • · Ulysses S. Grant

Themes & tags

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