Hoover, Laura and William Peery

William Peery Hoover was born in Hamilton County on April 25, 1854, the Handbook of Texas says, and with his brother Henry ranched on Cow House Creek there. He married Laura Carolyn McNutt, daughter of Jim McNutt of Tennessee, on January 7, 1878. On the Pecos the Hoovers leased railroad land at five cents an acre, and through railroad purchases and homesteading he built a ranch of 157 sections. The county entry places them near Cedar Springs. Hoover was a Mason and one of the founders of Ozona, and he died on June 4, 1922.

What the plaque says

Although Indians, Spaniards, wagon trains, and military expeditions crossed through this area earlier, the first permanent settlers in present-day Crockett County were native Texans Laura (McNutt) (1862-1941) and William Peery Hoover (1854-1922), who settled here in 1881. Traveling by way of the Devils River and Beaver Lake, they migrated to this area with two children and 200 head of longhorn cattle. Their first home, constructed of cedar pickets, was located under a bluff overlooking the Pecos River. The Hoovers had fourteen children, five of whom died in infancy. Isolated, the family had to be self-sufficient, since supply trips to the nearest towns, over 75 miles away, took several days. Laura and William Hoover steadily acquired land and their holdings grew to over 100,000 acres. Their cattle were identified by the "Hoo" brand. The Hoovers later moved to present-day Ozona (50 miles northeast) and became active in the development of the community. William was instrumental in the formation of Crockett County and helped organize the Ozona National Bank. 100 years after the Hoovers settled in this area, much of their land is still owned by descendants. (1981)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Fort Lancaster State Historic Site — 14 mi
  An 1855 post on Live Oak Creek above the Pecos, on the lower road to El Paso, where the army's camels passed three times and Buffalo Soldiers held off an attack in 1867.
• Crockett County Museum — 28 mi
  Three floors of ranch-country history in Ozona, the only town in Crockett County, housed in a burned-out 1926 church rebuilt as a hospital and courthouse annex.

More markers nearby

• Ruins of Fort Lancaster — 14 mi
• Old Government Road — 14 mi
• Howard's Well — 14 mi
• Henry Street Hudspeth — 27 mi