Johnson City in Blanco County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Sam Ealy Johnson, Sr.
Photographed by James Hulse, August 18, 2023
1. Sam Ealy Johnson, Sr. Marker
After the Civil War, Lyndon B. Johnson's grandfather, Sam Ealy Johnson, Sr., brought his bride Eliza to this place to live in a "Dog-trot" cabin. Sam and his brother, Tom, bought cattle on speculation to drive in great herds over the Chisholm Trail to the railhead in Kansas.
The legendary cattle drives were long and hard and sometimes deadly; Tom drowned at a river-crossing in 1877. But equally long and hard were the days for families left behind on this isolated frontier. With the men gone on the long drives, Eliza faced constant difficulties and dangers, including Indians who still resisted the white man's invasion. On top of the occasional danger, however, was the plain backbreaking work of it all; to survive on this frontier demanded seemingly endless daily toil and sacrifice.
In 1871 the cattle market collapsed - too many cattle - and Sam and Eliza Johnson moved to Hays County, near Austin. Later they returned to this area to settle near Stonewall on land that would one day become part of the LBJ Ranch. There they lived to see the birth of their grandson, a future president of the United States.
Erected by Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
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Location. 30° 16.452′ N, 98° 24.959′ W. Marker is in Johnson City, Texas, in Blanco County. It is on Settlement Road Ό mile west of South Lady Bird Lane. The marker is located at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in the western section at the Johnson Settlement. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 227 Settlement Rd, Johnson City TX 78636, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Hill Country. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Johnson Cabin (within shouting distance of this marker); A Land Transformed (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Frontier Legacy (about 300 feet away); Johnson Settlement (about 500 feet away); Roots of a Frontier President (approx. 0.2 miles away); Blanco County Trail Drives (approx. 0.2 miles away); Resting Place of a Founder (approx. Ό mile away); James Polk Johnson (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Johnson City.
Also see . . . The Johnson Settlement. National Park Service Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park website entry (Submitted on November 20, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed by James Hulse, August 18, 2023
2. Sam Ealy Johnson, Sr. Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, August 18, 2023
3. The Lyndon B. Johnson Event Center and the Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 20, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 230 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 20, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
