Article For Bulverde Spring Branch Highlights May Issue

Did You Know?

What we know of Comal County consists mainly of Bulverde and Spring Branch. However, starting in the mid-1800s the county consisted of several small early settlements. Following are very short histories of some of them.

Cibolo Settlement is now a ghost community on Cibolo Creek and was established in 1846 when a road was built from New Braunfels to the Pedernales River. It was the only convenient passage from the prairie over the Balcones Escarpment. Herrera, a farm and ranch community was settled in the 1870s. The Herrera school began in 1888 but by 1947 it was consolidated with the Bulverde School District. The Pfeuffer League consisted of small tracts that were sold off. A Spaniard by the name of Lorenzo de Bulverde was an early landowner.

Mustang Hill was settled in the 1880s once water wells could be dug by well-drilling machines. The school was consolidated with the Bulverde school system. Pieper’s Settlement was created in 1850 when three wagoneers claimed property on the Cibolo. Camp Bullis was established in 1917 as a target range for Fort Sam Houston and Camp Travis and was consolidated with Fort Sam Houston in 1922.

Camp Stanley was originally established as Camp Funston, a post of the San Antonio Arsenal. It operated as an ammunitions storage depot. Leon Springs is the site of a stagecoach stop operated in 1846. Over the years the buildings were used by an art colony. George Shaw purchased the property for private use. During WWI Leon Springs was the site of an officers’ training camp. Van Raub was established in 1884 and named for Byron Van Raub, the first local business. The historic schoolhouse still stands in Fair Oaks Ranch.

There was a Coker Community along US Hwy 281, but now is part of San Antonio. I believe there are some old buildings still standing. Wetmore was established in 1880, named for the director of the Houston and Great Northern Railroads. The Wetmore Cemetery is maintained along Thousand Oaks and Wetmore Road in San Antonio. Luxello was a farming community named for the Lux family. It was along Cibolo Creek and boasted of the popular Luxello Dancehall.

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