City of Gainesville

City of Gainesville Municipal Water Report Info
Gainesville serves as the county seat of Cooke County, strategically positioned along Interstate 35 approximately 67 miles north of Dallas. The city's history began in 1841 when W.S. Peters and associates signed their first contract with the Republic of Texas to bring 600 families into North-Central Texas, establishing what became known as the Peters Colony.

Early settlers were attracted by generous land grants offering 640 acres to family heads and 320 acres to single men. Before claiming their land, settlers pledged allegiance to the Republic of Texas and committed to building homes, cultivating fields, and fencing at least ten acres within three years.

Indian attacks posed serious threats to this frontier settlement, making military protection essential. Fort Fitzhugh, named after Colonel William Fitzhugh, became the area's first settlement site in 1847. The following year, the state legislature established Cooke County, named for Texas War for Independence hero William G. Cooke.

In 1850, Gainesville was established on 40 acres donated by Mary E. Clark. Initially called Liberty, the name proved problematic as another Liberty, Texas already existed. Colonel Fitzhugh suggested naming the town after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, who had supported the Texas Revolution.

The Butterfield Stagecoach's arrival in 1858 brought the first signs of prosperity, delivering cargo, passengers, and mail. During the Civil War, the controversial "Great Hanging" trial and execution of suspected Union loyalists brought unwanted attention to the town and nearly tore the county apart—a tragic chapter reflecting the national division caused by the war.

After the war, Gainesville experienced significant growth through the cattle industry, becoming a key supply point for cowboys driving herds north to Kansas. Positioned between two major cattle trails—the Chisolm Trail and the Shawnee Trail—Gainesville merchants prospered from the trade. The arrival of the "Katy" railroad in 1879 further boosted development after Indian attacks subsided in 1868.

Two major developments changed North Central Texas in the late 1870s: barbed wire fencing and railroads. Henry B. Sanborn sold the first spools of barbed wire in Texas through Gainesville in 1875. By November 1879, the first locomotive reached Gainesville, completing the rail connection to Denison. In 1886, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe extended its line from Fort Worth to Gainesville.

By the 1880s, Gainesville boasted over 10,000 residents with modern amenities including telegraph, telephone, gas and electric heating, concrete sidewalks, and well-maintained streets. A mule-drawn streetcar line operated along major streets, and the county constructed iron bridges to improve local transportation.

The 20th century brought automobiles, the first airplane (1911), and the State School for Girls. Despite the Great Depression, Gainesville fared better than many towns thanks to oil discoveries in nearby Callisburg in the 1920s. The Gainesville Community Circus, which began performing in 1930, gained national recognition through newsreels, radio broadcasts, and magazine articles.

World War II significantly impacted the area when Camp Howze, a military infantry training camp, was established on prime farmland. The camp's construction helped lift the county out of the Depression by creating jobs and doubling the population.

In recent decades, tourism has brought renewed prosperity. Amtrak's arrival on June 14, 1999, reconnected Gainesville to one of its original sources of growth. By 2000, the population reached 15,538, and the city continues to serve as an important regional center in North Texas.