History of Graham and it's Law Enforcement
1851
Graham has a rich history that began on the frontier with Fort Belknap in 1851. The Fort’s purpose was to protect and secure the peace for the pioneer settlers and Native Americans who lived on two near-by reservations. Fort Belknap was decommissioned in 1859 and is the only fort in Texas that is owned by the citizens of the county.
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1856
Graham was founded 1856
In 1856 Young County was established with the county seat located in the community of Belknap, half a mile east of the fort. After an election, Graham won out as the location of the second county seat and a courthouse was built in 1884 on the Downtown Square in Graham.
1869
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IIn 1869 brothers Gustavous A. and Edwin S. Graham arrived in North Texas, purchasing land and a salt works on Salt Creek in 1871. They drilled the first gas well in Texas, having stumbled upon it while drilling for salt water. A year later, the Grahams then turned their attention to surveying the site of a new town. With a downtown square measuring more than a mile in circumference and streets wide enough for a wagon to turn around, the town of Graham, Texas was established in 1872. Graham is credited as having the largest downtown square in the United States.
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Edwin Smith Graham, a pioneer and founder of Graham, the son of Gen. Robert and Roxana (Winchell) Graham, was born on February 15, 1831, in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his younger brother, Gustavus Adolphus, received their early schooling in Rockhaven and became involved with their father's cotton business and the development of the Glasco oilfield in Kentucky. Edwin married Addie Mary Kintner in 1865. They had five children.
Edwin Smith Graham
1875
With the founding of the Graham, the need for law enforcement was evident. When Benjamin Moseley, Jr. became the Constable of Precinct #1 in Young County, his jurisdiction was Graham with a dual mission of being a county servant and the Town Marshall. His oath of office was to "faithfully and impartially discharge his duties by supporting the constitution by the congress of the United States and being a citizen of this state. That he had not fought a duel with deadly warfare, or sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel, or knowingly aided or assisted any one thus offending either within this state or out of it. He was not disqualified from holding office under the 14th amendment to the constitution of the United States, and further that he was a qualified elected officer of the State."
1877
While the salt works were the stepping stones for establishing Graham, Texas, in 1877 Graham was the birthplace of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. The Association was founded in 1877 under an oak tree. These cattlemen created the association to fight cattle theft in the region. In 1983, cattlemen dropped the regional name for the more appropriate title – Cattle Raisers Association of Texas.