Hunt, Col. William Hudson

Before Wise County, Hunt spent years mapping the frontier. The Handbook of Texas says he surveyed in Brazoria County after the Revolution, then in 1840 became engineer for the Military Road expedition under William G. Cooke, exploring and mapping the upper Trinity and Red rivers. He later served as engineer for the Texan Santa Fe expedition. In 1845 he surveyed the town plat of Preston for Holland Coffee, formed a land company with John D. Black, and surveyed for the Mercer and Peters colonies. He organized the first Methodist church of western Wise County.

What the plaque says

Hunt, Col. William Hudson (1815-1864) Born in Ithaca, New York, William Hudson Hunt became a principal figure in the development of Wise County. He came to Texas in 1836, joining the War for Independence. He then served in the Army of the Texas Republic, participating in the Santa Fe Expedition. His engineering and surveying skills led to an appointment to the council which located the site of the Texas capitol. He also surveyed public and school lands and proposed roadways. In 1855, Col. Hunt became an early Wise County pioneer, settling along the Trinity River's West Fork. He built his residence and ranch headquarters on a hill (later Cactus Hill) at the confluence of a creek (later Hunt's Creek) with the West Fork. He and his wife, Catherine (Cordel), raised five children on the land. Hunt built livestock and grazing operations, and together with neighbors, including noted rancher Daniel Waggoner, he began a cattle business that later thrived. Hunt also specialized in raising sheep. Col. Hunt was also a community leader. He laid out the county seat of Taylorsville (later Decatur) and became postmaster at Cactus Hill. He was also active in church and Masonic activities. Additionally, he led residents in a successful effort to encourage routing of the Butterfield Overland Mail Route through Wise County. In 1861, after the death of his wife, Col. Hunt moved his family to Decatur. His death in 1864 was the result of a wreck caused by a runaway team of horses leading his vehicle. Col. Hunt and other family were originally buried in their family cemetery in Cactus Hill, but the construction of a dam and creation of Lake Bridgeport led to their reinterment here. Today, Col. Hunt is remembered as a pioneer, rancher and noted leader in the early days of Wise County. (2008)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Wise County Courthouse — 9.7 mi
  J. Riely Gordon's granite Romanesque courthouse of 1895-96 in Decatur, built after fire destroyed the Second Empire courthouse and set off a fight over the county seat.
• Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site — 23 mi
  The northernmost post of the Texas frontier line, outside Jacksboro, where a stone hospital and six other buildings stand from 1867 and a later Guard unit became the Lost Battalion.

More markers nearby

• Bridgeport Coal Mines — 0.9 mi
• Republic of Texas' Santa Fe Expedition in Wise County — 1.6 mi
• Toll Bridge & Old Bridgeport — 2.0 mi
• Dr. M. W. Matthews — 4.5 mi