The first European settlers in present-day Llano County were German immigrants recruited by the German noblemen’s society, or Adelsverein, which had purchased more than three million acres between the Llano and Colorado Rivers (known as the Fisher-Miller grant) in 1844. While most of the German settlers stopped at the way-stations of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, a few brave souls crossed the Llano River into their Comanche-dominated “promised land.” The 1850 census listed “32 persons on the Llano River.”

       The decade of the 1850s saw a flood of settlers coming from the east with farming in mind, and the population increased rapidly throughout most of the Hill Country. Two of the first in the Llano area were Clement and John Oatman, who came to Packsaddle Mountain from Bastrop County in 1851, and moved a couple of miles south of the present Llano townsite shortly thereafter. Their new home came to be known as Oatman Creek, and several other members of the family came to join them in 1853. In the meantime, David and Gideon Cowan crossed the Colorado River and established a saltworks about 15 miles to the east. The town of Bluffton grew around them, becoming the area’s most prosperous community.

       Several smaller communities sprang up, and by 1856, there were enough people to form a new county. Residents were asked to choose one of two sites for the seat of the new county. One site was at the center of the county, where John Oatman Sr. donated 100 acres on the south side of the Llano River to build a new town. The other was at Wright’s Creek, to the east. Despite concerns voiced by David Cowan and others from Bluffton, the site on the Llano River was chosen; Cowan became the first county judge.

       John Oatman Jr. purchased a lot in town and built a picket house store. He also became Llano’s first postmaster. John Buttery built two small one-story rock buildings, one of which was used as an office by the county clerk. By 1858, a little town was established, and there were more than 1,100 people in the county.

       The Civil War interrupted the county’s growth, and the county seat remained a small frontier trading center for the next two decades. Henry Buttery, who had joined the Confederate Army at age 17, returned after four years’ service to become one of Llano’s leading merchants. Damon Slater, J.R. Moss and others established large ranches in Llano County; Slater led the first cattle drive from Llano County (to Roswell, New Mexico) in 1867. James Clayton Stribling aided in “breeding up” range cattle around Llano, by importing registered Hereford bulls when cattle were Llano’s most important industry. Part of his ranch is now the Granite Hills Hereford Ranch, east of Llano.

        Cotton became a major cash crop beginning in the 1870s, and continued as such until the 1930s. The town grew slowly; roads were bad and transportation was difficult through the rugged terrain, so goods had to be hauled by burro, or in an occasional wagon. Most Llano County residents were almost self-sufficient, with many of them wresting a meager living from 160 acres of rocky land.  

       A horse-racing track was built in Llano in 1877, and Llano’s first bank was built in 1879. By 1880, there were almost 5,000 people living in Llano County, and the Southern Hotel was built on the northwest corner of the square to provide lodging for travelers coming by stagecoach from Lampasas or Burnet. Most lumber for building was shipped from Round Rock. (A ferry, powered by three strong men, carried traffic across the Colorado River at Bluffton.)  Llano’s first newspaper, the Llano Rural, was published sometime in the early 1880s. The business district in grew slowly but steadily through the early 1880s, and a new brick courthouse was built in 1885.

       Llano’s first rock school was built in 1886, the same year that promising iron ore samples were discovered in northwestern Llano County. All of a sudden, Llano became a boomtown, and capitalists from Dallas and Minneapolis invested more than a quarter-million dollars in land and mineral rights by 1888. A new newspaper, the Iron City News, began publication that year (It later became the Llano News, and is still published today), and the Iron City National Bank was founded in 1890. Hundreds of people came to Llano, hoping to share in the mineral wealth they felt sure was just beneath their feet. Because there were not enough buildings to house all the jobseekers, a tent city sprang up on the north side of the river.

       Llano changed overnight from a rustic agricultural town to a sophisticated city. The fine, three-story brick Algona Hotel (named by two of the investors, who hailed from Algona, Iowa) was built in 1888, featuring gourmet meals, a string orchestra and formal evening attire. The Llano Improvement and Furnace Company made plans to build an iron furnace and foundry, as well as a dam, an electric power plant, a streetcar system, and electric street lights, and many substantial buildings were erected on both sides of the river. A bridge was built across the Llano River in 1892, and plans were made for the development of commercial real estate on the undeveloped north side of the river. That same year, the Austin and Northwestern Railroad was extended to a terminal on the north side of Llano and a substantial new jail was built on the south side. (Nineteen attorneys were practicing law in the city of Llano that year.) Steel-town names such as Birmingham, Pittsburgh, and Bessemer were chosen for the new north-side streets; Llano was to be the "Pittsburgh of the West."

       A French mineralogist named N.J. Badu was one of the early proponents of Llano’s mineral wealth. He arrived early in the “boom,” and was involved in almost every aspect of the mining industry. He discovered the mineral now known as “Llanite.” He also managed the Algona Hotel for a while, and later bought the building (now called the “Badu House”) which had housed the First National Bank.

       Most of the big dreams never came true. The most successful operation was the Olive Mine, ten miles east of Llano. It employed nearly 200 men at its peak, but it closed when its manager was robbed and murdered in 1894. Other mines simply did not produce as expected. The Llano Improvement and Furnace Company went out of business. Disappointed real estate speculators and intoxicated drifters set so many fires over the next few years that fire insurance soon became unavailable in Llano. The courthouse had burned in 1892; by 1894 there would be a fire almost every night. The Algona Hotel, by then known as the Don Carlos Hotel, burned to the ground in 1923.

       The boomtown era was over, but Llano was left with tremendously improved infrastructure and a whole new industry – granite. The beautiful courthouse that still graces the historic square was completed in 1893; the new "Red Top" county jail was built in 1895. The arrival of the railroad had made it possible to ship large blocks of granite for buildings and monuments all over the country. Noted stonemason and artist Frank Teich, a native of Germany who had supervised construction of the state capitol, established a quarry and plant (called Teich Monument Works) in 1901. From his plant, he crafted Confederate monuments for the cities of Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and others. He sculpted a Masonic monument that still stands in Kansas City. While Llano’s growth definitely slowed, the town was well enough established by 1904 that the Texas Almanac described it as follows: “The town contains 2,000 inhabitants, and is beautifully located on both sides of the Llano River. The town commands the trade of a large scope of country.” That was also the year that the first library was established (with 109 books) in the home of a civic-minded lady named Mrs. Porter. And it was the year of the first Llano County Fair.

       The growth and modernization continued. The first car appeared in Llano in 1908; it was used by Dr. David Livingstone to make house calls. Dozens of businesses were thriving in Llano in 1910, including six hotels, four restaurants, six grocery stores, two lumber yards, two newspapers, three pool halls, four barbershops, three banks and two bakeries (among others). Despite a tornado which inflicted serious damage in 1916, the Llano News reported in 1929 that the last 20 years had been “a period of expansion and city development never before known,” even during the boom years. The paper cited as evidence the new Granite City Hotel, the paved city streets and the two new highways coming through town. In 1921, Llano was home to more than a dozen granite companies.

       Llano found itself in the spotlight again when a 22-year-old local cowboy and horse trainer named Cecil Smith discovered the game of polo. After learning the basics of the game on the rocky hillsides of the C.T. Moss Ranch, in southern Llano County, Smith used his horsemanship and natural athletic ability to take the aristocratic sport by storm. He became a national hero in 1933, when his western team defeated a team of eastern millionaires who had been considered the best in the world. He was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame in 1990, and is still considered by many to be the best polo player of all time.

       Otherwise, the 1930s were not such a good time in Llano. Drought and economic depression took their toll, but when it rained, it poured! A massive flood in the summer of 1935 took down the Llano River bridge and wreaked havoc in the town. A new bridge, named for Roy B. Inks, was completed in 1936. (Inks was a local hero who had managed the Opera House, owned the local Ford dealership, served as Llano’s mayor and as a director of the newly-formed LCRA. He died of pneumonia in 1935, shortly after the flood and after his work had helped bring federal funding to complete Buchanan Dam. The next dam and lake completed after Buchanan were named Inks Dam and Inks Lake for the former mayor.)

       World War II dominated the 1940s, and the 1950s were the decade of prolonged drought, but Llano endured and even prospered. Granite quarrying and finishing remained important industries, bringing $1 million a year into Llano’s economy by the 1950s. By 1964 the town had added a fine new hospital, a community center, a rodeo arena, and a golf course, along with a city park and an improved water system.

       The Llano River valley boasts the highest concentration of whitetail deer in Texas, and modern Llano (“The Deer Capital of Texas”) is famous as a hunting mecca. It is also famous as the home of many accomplished rodeo stars and for excellent barbeque. It is becoming famous for quality live music events at Fuel Coffee House and the Lantex theater; it boasts several fine parks on both sides of the river, and the entire downtown area around the square is listed on the National Historical Register.

       With its economy depending more and more on tourism, Llano goes the extra mile to give tourists good reasons to visit. Not only is the historic district full of charming shops, art galleries and good places to eat, but Llano sponsors an abundance of excellent festivals and historic celebrations. The Crawfish Open in April, Texas Proud in May, Rock'n Riverfest in July, Heritage Days (accompanied by an impressive Chuck Wagon Cook-Off) in October, and Starry, Starry Nights in December. Perhaps Llano's biggest attractions are the charming small-town atmosphere and the friendly residents. In many ways, Llano exemplifies what is best in the Texas Hill Country.

 By John Hallowell

John Hallowell is the past editor of several Hill Country publications. He has been exploring the Texas Hill Country for almost 20 years.