Site of Old Headquarters of the Hashknife Ranch
(on hill east of Cedar Creek) In December 1880, H.C. Whithers of the Texas & Pacific Railroad met local men here to decide on a site for a cattle shipping center. Bypassing the county seat of Buffalo Gap, the railroad platted a new town named Abilene for the famous cattle town in Kansas. Cattlemen meeting with Whithers were Dallas banker and Hashknife Ranch co-owner John N. Simpson, and Confederate Colonels Claiborne W. (Clabe) and J.D. Merchant, twin brothers and ranchers who moved to Callahan County six years earlier. Brisk bidding ensued at a sale of city lots in March 1881. Abilene grew quickly and became a significant regional city of west Texas. (1968, 2007)
32.4740° N, 99.7206° W
Where to Find It
Will Hair Park, E side of entrance road (Hair St.), 150 feet S of E. Ambler Ave.
Nearby Markers
- 0.7 mi SE Abilene Christian University Abilene
- 0.7 mi W Hendrick Medical Center Abilene
- 0.8 mi W Hardin-Simmons University Campus Triangle Abilene
- 0.8 mi W Hardin-Simmons University Abilene
- 1 mi S Morgan Jones Abilene
- 1 mi S Abilene Municipal Cemetery Abilene