Johnson City in Blanco County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
A Land Transformed
Photographed by James Hulse, August 18, 2023
1. A Land Transformed Marker
Abundant timber, "stirrup-high" grass, and seemingly adequate water lured the hill country's first settlers to this land. But the land deceived. Only a thin layer of poor soil sustained this lush landscape.
The virgin grasses that attracted the first settlers were the product not of one growing season - as was so back east - but of dozens. Once consumed by cattle and sheep, the grass regenerated slowly. Crops of cotton and corn thrived in the first years, but by 1890 per-acre yields had dropped by as much as two-thirds. Prosperity gave way to a toilsome struggle for survival.
Today, brush, cedars, and non-native grasses dominate a land where once mustang grapes, wild plums, persimmons, and agarita bushes grew. Pecans now stand beside the native cypress. Terraces and fencelines crisscross the landscape. The imprint of human use is everywhere.
Erected by Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 30° 16.475′ N, 98° 24.91′ W. Marker is
this page online
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: Sam Ealy Johnson, Sr. (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Frontier Legacy (about 500 feet away); The Johnson Cabin (about 500 feet away); Johnson Settlement (about 700 feet away); Blanco County Trail Drives (approx. 0.2 miles away); Roots of a Frontier President (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 homepage (Submitted on November 20, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed by James Hulse, August 18, 2023
2. A Land Transformed Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, August 18, 2023
3. The view of the Land Transformed Marker along the trail
Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 20, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 198 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 20, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
