Simpson Crawford
Palo Pinto County, Palo Pinto County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A native of Kentucky, Simpson Crawford (1824-1908) served in the Mexican War (1846-48) at Vera Cruz and Mexico City. Following the war he returned to Kentucky and married Elizabeth Evans. In 1852 they moved to Texas, settling first in Titus County. In 1854 they came to Palo Pinto County and built a home (3/4 mile northwest) in the Keechi Valley area of Peters Colony. A successful rancher owning 3100 acres, Crawford also served in the Texas Rangers. His first wife died in 1858 and he married Mary Brown four years later. He is buried in Crawford Cemetery (1.5 miles north). (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Simpson Crawford carried a soldier's life west: a Kentucky native, he fought in the Mexican War at Vera Cruz and Mexico City before marrying and moving to Texas in 1852. By 1854 he had settled in the Keechi Valley of Palo Pinto County, part of the Peters Colony land-grant settlement, where he built a home and grew a ranch of some 3,100 acres. He also rode with the Texas Rangers, patrolling a still-dangerous frontier.
Why it matters
Crawford's path from the Mexican War to a frontier ranch and Ranger service traces the way military veterans became the settlers and lawmen of antebellum West Texas.
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Related people
- · Simpson Crawford
- · Elizabeth Evans
Related events
- · Mexican War
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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