This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Bowie's Founding and Early Growth Fueled by Railroads
Bowie's growth began in 1882 with railroad lines in Montague County turning a nonexistent settlement into the county's largest city. By 1883 the population reached about 1,100, with Mason Street first and the rest named after early merchants. The town incorporated in 1883 and built multiple banks, a newspaper, and a hospital, while landmarks like Lake Amon G. Carter and Bowie's memorial to Gov. James V. Allred mark its development.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bowie
Montague County
Fort Worth
Denver City
Wichita Falls
Mason
Cowangin
Smythe
Otto Smythe
Smokey Row
Lindsey
Cummins
Hutchinson
Strong
Cowan
Lowrie
Matthews
Cosby
Jim Burgess
Gainesville
Burgess
Aileen Taliaferro
Queen’s Peak
Queenstown
Queen City
Buie
Jim Bowie
the Cross Timbers
O. P. McLain
West
D. C. Allen
Allen
Decatur
Thomas Worley
First National Bank
T.C. Phillips
Wade Atkins
City National Bank
James Independence Gillespie Cowan
James V. Allred
Texas
State Park
US 287
Amon G. Carter
Bowie Memorial Hospital