Lake Creek Cemetery
Scotland, Archer County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the late 1800s, this part of Texas was open range. After the U.S. government removed Native American tribes to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), new settlers began arriving as early as 1874. Disputes between ranchers, who favored the open range, and homesteading farmers divided the settlers, but Archer County organized in 1880, despite opposition. Early farmers in what became the Lake Creek community included the Gant, Edgin and Presley families, as well as Edward A. and Fannie McDonald, who, c. 1900, buried a visiting relative, known today only as Grandma Crisp, on their land. Hers is the first marked grave at this location, which the McDonalds donated to the county for use as a community cemetery in 1908. A school and church later developed, and residents maintained the burial ground and held Decoration Day services. In 1981, descendants of those buried here joined others from the community to form a cemetery association. Four years later, the county conveyed the property to the group, which continues to preserve the cemetery, the final resting place of military veterans and generations of area residents. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the late 1800s this part of Archer County was open range, opened to settlers only after the U.S. government forced Native American tribes onto reservations in Indian Territory. Homesteaders and ranchers clashed over the land even as the county organized in 1880, and around 1900 the McDonald family buried a visiting relative—remembered only as Grandma Crisp—in what became the Lake Creek community cemetery. Deeded to the county in 1908 and later cared for by a descendants' association, it holds generations of area residents and military veterans.
Why it matters
The cemetery marks the human cost and reward of the open-range frontier, settled on land cleared by Native American removal and contested between ranchers and farmers.
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Related people
- · Edward A. McDonald
- · Fannie McDonald
- · Grandma Crisp
Related events
- · Removal of Native American tribes to Indian Territory
- · Organization of Archer County, 1880
Themes & tags
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