Mount Bonnell
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Rising 775 feet above sea level, this limestone height was named for George W. Bonnell, who came to Texas with others to fight for Texas independence, 1836. Was commissioner of Indian Affairs in Republic of Texas under president Sam Houston. Moved in 1839 to Austin; there published the "Texas Sentinel", 1840. Member Texan-Santa Fe expedition, 1841. Was captured but released in time to join Mier expedition, 1842. Was killed in camp on Rio Grande, Dec, 26, 1842. Frontiersman W.A.A. "Bigfoot" Wallace killed an Indian he met face to face while crossing a narrow ledge 50 feet above river, 1839. He also took refuge in a Mount Bonnell cave to recover from "flux", but was missing so long his sweetheart eloped. In the mid-1800s Mormons built a mill on the Colorado river at foot of Mount Bonnell. Mill was destroyed by flood and the Mormons moved on west. Mount Bonnell was site of picnics and outings in 1850s and 1860s. As it is today. Legend has it that an excursion to the place in the1850s inspired the popular song "Wait for the Wagon and We'll All Take a Ride". As a stunt in 1898, Miss Hazel Keyes slid down a cable stretched from the top of Mount Bonnell to south bank of then Lake McDonald below. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Rising 775 feet above the Colorado River, this limestone height is named for George W. Bonnell, who came to fight for Texas independence in 1836, served the Republic as commissioner of Indian Affairs, and died on the Rio Grande in 1842 after joining the ill-fated Texan–Santa Fe and Mier expeditions. Around it swirl Austin's founding-era legends—of Bigfoot Wallace, Mormon millers, and 1850s picnickers. The overlook has been a favorite lookout and gathering place since the Republic of Texas.
Why it matters
Mount Bonnell ties Austin's dramatic landscape to the adventurers and folklore of the Republic of Texas frontier.
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Related people
- · George W. Bonnell
- · William A. A. "Bigfoot" Wallace
Themes & tags
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