The History of Grimes County
Evidence suggests that human habitation in what is now Grimes County began around 5000 B.C. The Bidai Indians were the earliest residents of this area. Due to disease and European influences, the Bidai population declined in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The surviving Bidais were finally sent to reservations by the United States government’s general removal program in 1854.
The Spanish and the French explored the area during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Important personalities such as explorer Rene Robert Cavalier de LaSalle, Alonso De Leon governor of Coahuila, the Marques de Rubi, and Pedro Vial among others were the first ones to travel through the area opening new routes. LaSalle is believed to have been killed by his own men in 1687 near the Navasota River. De Leon was probably the first Spaniard to reach the area. De Leon traveled northeast from Goliad to the vicinity of Navasota and continued past the future sites of Anderson and Prairie Plains toward the Neches River. His route, originally a crude Indian trace through southern Texas, soon became known as La Bahia road or trail and served as an important Spanish thoroughfare.
English settlement started with the founding of Stephen F. Austin’s colony between the lower Brazos and Colorado rivers. By 1824 colonists immigrating with Austin began claiming land within what is now Grimes County, including such noble residents as Andrew Millican. By 1824 Colonists immigrating with Austin began claiming land within what is now Grimes County. The colonists were attracted to the rich farmland along the waterways and prairies. Early residents included the families of Francis Holland, Isaac Jackson, James Whiteside, Jesse Grimes, Caleb Wallace, Jared E. Groce, and Anthony Kennard. A total of sixty-four land grants were issued by the Mexican government prior to the Texas Revolution of 1836.
The territory became part of the City of Washington in 1835. In 1835 the first post office was opened at the Fanthorp Inn. After the creation of the Republic of Texas, the territory became part of Montgomery County. Grimes County was created on April 6, 1846. The county was named in honor of Jesse Grimes. Grimes was a signator of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Cotton and corn became the most important cash crops in the county. This agricultural production was accompanied by stock raising which included large herds of cattle, hogs, and sheep.
On the eve of the Civil War the county’s agriculture activity had grown considerably. Cities within the county grew substantially during this same period. By 1856 there were six well established communities in Grimes County. They included Anderson, Bedias, Grimesville, Retreat, Prairie Plains, and Navasota. The location of Kellum Springs and Piedmont Springs in the county prompted the development of two spas in 1850. In 1859 the Houston and Texas Central railroad extended its line to Navasota bypassing Anderson whose residents had opposed the establishment of the railroad in their city.
A majority of the residents of Grimes County supported the Confederacy. During the Civil War a munitions factory specializing in small armaments was developed near Anderson.
Grimes County’s recovery from the Civil War was slow. Agricultural production was enhanced through the emigration of people from several southern states including Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. This process was further supported by an influx of foreign-born immigrants from Germany and Poland. After World War I, the labor force increased with the arrival of Mexican migrant workers. Between World War I and World War II people of Mexican ancestry became the largest cultural group within the county. African Americans began to leave the county after the Civil War and this process continued unabated. By 1990, just under 4,000 African Americans remained.
Grimes County’s population declined by more than 31% during the 1940’s. Apparently, employment opportunities in Houston were primarily responsible for this phenomenon. The Great Depression triggered a significant decline in cotton farming, however, cattle production actually increased during this same period. Agricultural activity began to diversify, and by the 1970’s this diversity reflected the production of cane sorghum, small grains, watermelons, pecans, Christmas trees, and vegetables such as potato, sweet potato, and soybean. Beekeeping has been of commercial significance since the 1980’s.
The development of industrial activities in Grimes County began with lumbering. Petroleum was discovered in 1952, but until the late 1970s only small quantities were recovered. During the 1980’s the production of crude oil and natural gas increased significantly. During this same period lignite coal was also heavily mined in the area. Manufacturing increased between 1967 and 1982 and most of the plants were located in the City of Navasota.
