The town of Round Rock was not originally named this way. A series of events and developments would shape the name and location through out the History of Round Rock Texas.

The original settlement that would one day become known as Round Rock was established in 1851 on the banks of Brushy Creek not far from an important ford used by early settlers and Indians alike.

The Rock of Round Rock TX

This ford was marked by a great round rock that protruded from the river. This round rock was an important landmark that indicated this spot as the ideal place to cross the river along the “Chisolm Trail”, which was established by Jesse Chisolm after the Civil War as a major route for transporting cattle from south Texas to Abilene, Kansas.

But, this route was used for many purposes and there are even hundred-year-old wagon ruts still at the bottom of the Brushy Creek. In 1854, the small settlement of Brushy, located near this round rock, was renamed “Round Rock” in honor of this notable landmark.

Despite setbacks and natural catastrophes, the settlement flourished and when the Great Northern Railroad in 1876, the cities commercial center was relocated, leaving most of the original buildings in a section of town that soon became known as Old Town. Many of these buildings are still standing today.

Round Rock History

One of the more notable events in the history of Round Rock Texas was the famous “Sam Bass Shootout”. Sam Bass was a bandit and train robber in the nineteenth century. On July 18, 1878, Sam Bass was engaged in a gunfight by A.W. Grimes and a Texas Ranger Division. He was captured and died soon after from wounds sustained in the gunfight. The 27-year-old Sam Bass was later buried in the cemetery at Old Town where his grave can still be viewed to this day.