Site of Verand
Eldorado, Schleicher County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first town in Schleicher County, Verand was established about 1890 near the headquarters of the Vermont Ranch. Although short-lived, the town, platted in 86 lots, included a stagecoach station, post office, store, and hotel, as well as homes for twenty to thirty families. The citizens of Verand ultimately had difficulty obtaining clear title to their land so in 1895, in answer to an offer of free land by Eldorado founder W. B. Silliman, they moved five miles south to the new town. The site of Verand soon returned to its natural state. (1968, 1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Verand, the first town in Schleicher County, sprang up around 1890 near the Vermont Ranch headquarters, platted into 86 lots with a stagecoach station, post office, store, hotel, and homes for a few dozen families. But settlers could not secure clear title to their land, and when Eldorado's founder offered free lots five miles south in 1895, the whole town simply picked up and moved. The abandoned site soon returned to open range.
Why it matters
Verand shows how fragile land title, not just geography, could uproot an entire frontier town almost overnight.
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Related people
- · W. B. Silliman
Themes & tags
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