Texas is a sizable state located along the Gulf of Mexico in the southern part of the country. Administratively, this big state is split up into a total of 254 counties. Texas’s central region is where Bell County is situated.
The county is bordered on the north by McLennan County, the east by Falls County, the northeast by Coryell County, the south by Williamson County, the southeast by Milam County, and the southwest by Burnet and the west by Lampasas County.
The Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Bell County. The county seat is in Belton, the third-largest town in the county.
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Geography
Bell County, which has a total size of 2,820 km2, is located near the Balcones Escarpment, 72.4 km north of Austin, the state capital. The Escarpment divides Bell County into many sections, which almost entirely cuts through the county’s core.
While the county’s western half is located in Texas’s Grand Prairie, the county’s eastern half is a part of the Blackland Prairies. The Little River and its tributaries and the Leon, Lampasas, and Salado Rivers are a few essential rivers in Bell County.
The western portion of the county is covered with tall grasses and trees like oak, pine, and juniper, whereas the eastern part of the county is utilized for agriculture and is covered in hardwood trees.
Numerous faunal species, including birds, deer, and antelope, are supported by the county’s two lakes, Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Lake.
Short History
Archaeological research has shown that humans have been living in what is now Bell County continuously since 6000 BCE.
The county’s earliest known residents were the indigenous Tonkawas. The Anadarko, Lipan Apaches, Wacos, and Comanches were among the various Indigenous tribes who called the county region home.
When this region joined the Robertson’s Colony in the 1830s, European settlers started to arrive. The villages were abandoned during the Runaway Scrape in 1836 when inhabitants were forced to leave the Mexican Army of Operations.
After Native American tribes attacked Fort Parker, the colonies were once more inhabited before being abandoned.
Texas Ranger George B. Erath built a fort next to the Little River in November 1836. All the early residents had fled Bell County by 1838, and the Little River Fort had been abandoned.
The Texas Rangers and the Native Comanches engaged in a devastating conflict in 1839 known as the Bird’s Creek Battle.
Following peace agreements between the two warring parties, residents moved back into the Bell County region in 1843–1844. Bell County was founded on January 22, 1850, and was given that name in honor of Peter Hansborough Bell, Texas’ third governor.
In 1851, Belton has named the county seat. The Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway were the first railroad built in Bell County.