A Narrative History of the Hill Country Towns Surrounding London, Texas
The Texas Hill Country around London, Texas—situated in northeastern Kimble County—has always been a landscape where rugged terrain, deep canyons, and live-oak savannah shaped the people who lived there. Long before the first settlers arrived, this region was home to generations of Native American tribes whose presence left an enduring imprint on the land.
Native Peoples of the Hill Country
For thousands of years, the Hill Country was inhabited by Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, and later Comanche peoples. The Tonkawa were semi-nomadic hunters who relied heavily on buffalo and deer, moving seasonally through the river valleys. The Lipan Apache established camps along the Llano and San Saba Rivers, practicing a mix of hunting, gathering, and small-scale agriculture. By the early 1700s, the Comanche—superb horsemen—dominated the region, using the Hill Country as part of their vast raiding and trading network.
Settlement and the Birth of London, Texas
The community that would become London emerged in the late 1870s and early 1880s, when Len L. Lewis, a former Union Army officer and horse trader, moved into the area in 1878. After marrying a local widow, he purchased a half-section of land and laid out a townsite with forty lots and a central square, hoping it would become a regional trade center. In 1881, the Stevenson brothers—Ed, Tom, and Robert—opened a store on the site, and by 1882 a post office was established under the name London. The town grew steadily: about 30 residents by 1884, 100 by 1896, and a thriving collection of businesses including blacksmith shops, cotton gins, saloons, hotels, and multiple churches.
Frontier Characters: Johnny Ringo and the Outlaw Legacy
The Hill Country has no shortage of frontier legends, and among the most famous is Johnny Ringo, the gunfighter associated with the Earp-Clanton feud in Arizona. Before his notoriety in Tombstone, Ringo spent significant time in the Mason County area, just north of London, during the Mason County War of the 1870s—a violent feud between German settlers and American cattlemen.
Old Yeller and the Cultural Memory of the Hill Country
The Hill Country also inspired one of the most beloved stories in American literature: Old Yeller. Author Fred Gipson, born in nearby Mason, set the novel in the rugged frontier landscape familiar to every ranching family in the region. The story’s themes—hardship, loyalty, and the bond between people and animals—reflect the lived experience of Hill Country settlers in the late 19th century.
Growth, Decline, and the Modern Era
By the early 20th century, London had become a lively rural center. In 1914, the town supported five general stores and about 175 residents. By 1931, it had sixteen businesses and a population of 360, its peak before the Great Depression cut the population in half. World War II brought a brief revival, with the population rising to over 400 by 1943, but postwar mechanization and farm consolidation led to another decline. By the early 1970s, London had only 110 residents, though the number has since stabilized around 180.
The Hill Country Today
Today, the towns surrounding London—Junction, Mason, Menard, Roosevelt, and others—retain their ranching heritage while embracing tourism, hunting, and outdoor recreation. The region’s rivers, limestone bluffs, and oak-covered hills continue to draw visitors, but the cultural memory of the frontier remains strongest in the small communities like London, where the past is still visible in the landscape.