Most People Don't Know The Meaning Behind These 10 Texas Town Names
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Texas is full of rich history, and the names of many of our towns reflect that. The following ten towns in the Lone Star State are called some rather strange things – see how many you know the meaning of before reading the answer below the picture!
Although not named after the frog, he does appear on the water tower! (If you look closely, you can see his little green face grinning in the distance.) This West Texas town's name actually comes from Kermit Roosevelt, son of Teddy Roosevelt. He visited the T Bar Ranch in the northern part of the county on an antelope hunting expedition, and the residents decided to honor him with their town's name.
Guns are all the rage here - surprising, right? The town motto is "We shoot straight with you" and its symbol is a rifle. It got its start not way back when Texas was fighting for independence, but less than fifty years ago when a group of friends made their vision of turning an unincorporated community into an official town a reality. There was a road called Gun Barrel Lane that connected two nearby cities, so that became the town's name as soon as it became legitimate.
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Arguably the town with the most interesting history, this East Texas community began with a fight in 1912. A preacher was invited to hold a meeting at the City Hall, but he decided to go dancing at a saloon instead. Some citizens were enraged while others supported him, and the town was split in half. Scared by all the commotion, a young boy said, "I'm going to cut around the corner and shoot through the bushes in a minute!" and thus, the name was born.
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Yes, that's DISH in all caps. Sound familiar? That's because it is - the town changed its name from Clark to DISH in 2005 and received a decade of free satellite TV from the network in exchange. I think I need to move here!
12 miles east of Canton, this tiny town of 400 is named after its very first mailman. His muleback postal service was a testament to his perseverance and undying desire to serve his community, so they felt the need to honor him.
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No, this town wasn't named after the doorbell game that obnoxious teenagers used to play way back when - although that would be hilarious. The town is in the middle of Bell County, and a painter made a sign for a country store with two bells and the words "Ding Dong" in between them. The name stuck, and the rest is history.
This Lee County town's name is derived from its early settlers' method of mailing letters. They would leave their mail along with a dime in a box, and whenever someone needed to go to town, they would take the letters and the money with them.
This is the first town on the list that's named after exactly what you think it is! There's a creek nearby where wild turkeys used to roam, and that's how the town was named. Simple as that.
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The settlers of this Central Texas town were German, and the name is either a derivative of "Othneil," the name of the first gristmill owner, or a translation of "Habermill," meaning "oats" in a specific dialect of the language. Whatever the origin, I think we can all appreciate this adorable watertower.
Earth was the agreed-upon name by all the residents of the town after their original proposition, Fairlawn, was rejected because another town by that name already existed in Texas. What an appropriate name for such a peaceful decision, wouldn't you agree?
How many of these towns did you know the meaning behind already? Are there any others we left off the list? Let us know!
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