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Texas became the 28th state on December 29, 1845
Capital - Austin
Motto - Friendship
Nickname - Lone Star State
Song - Texas, Our Texas
Flower - Bluebonnet
Tree- Pecan
Bird - Mockingbird


In memory of
Malcom Luther "Mike" Basham
First TXGenWeb State Coordinator
25 May 1942
to
15 September 1997


Adjacent Counties
  Collin County, TX - N
  Denton County, TX - NW
  Ellis County, TX - S
  Kaufman County, TX - E
  Rockwall County, TX - E
  Tarrant County, TX - W
   
TXGenWeb County Listings




DeSoto, Texas

USGenWeb  >> TXGenWeb  >> Dallas County  >> Towns & Communities >> De Soto, Texas

Latitude 32°35′57″N
32.599286
Longitude 96°51′32″W
-96.858828
Elevation
feet/meters
666/203
Zip Code 75115, 75123
Founded/
Incorporated
1949
GNIS FID 1373357
TXGenWeb Site
 
Cemeteries
DeSoto Public Library
DeSoto ISD
Local Genealogy Society
Wikipedia
ci.desoto.tx.us

The area was first settled in 1847, making it one of the oldest communities in North Texas. A post office was established in 1881, and the settlement was named DeSoto in honor of Thomas Hernando DeSoto Stewart, a doctor dedicated to the community.

Historical population
Census Pop.
1950 298
1960 1,969 560.7%
1970 6,617 236.1%
1980 15,538 134.8%
1990 30,544 96.6%
2000 37,646 23.3%
2010 49,047 30.3%

By 1885, DeSoto was home to approximately 120 people, a cotton gin, and a general store. Soon after, the population declined to below 50. In 1930, there were 97 people living in the community and several businesses.

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DeSoto (De Soto) is twelve miles south of Dallas on Interstate highways 35 and 20, U.S. Highway 67, and Ten Mile Creek in southern Dallas County. It is bordered by Lancaster to the east, Glenn Heights to the south, Cedar Hill to the west, and the junction of the city limits of Duncanville and Dallas to the north. The community is located on the original land grants of W. Caldwell, Z. Heath, T. Rhodes, and C. Parks. It was founded in the 1840s by the Parks, Cheshier, Ramsey, and Johnson families. Parks is thought to be the first, and his land grant is the location around which the community developed. The Ramseys' daughter Mary, who was born in 1846, was reportedly the first white child born west of the Trinity. She eventually married another settler named F. M. Hamilton and lived in the area until she was ninety-four years old. In 1848 T. J. Johnson built the first general store in DeSoto at the junction of what became Belt Line and Hampton roads, and the place became known as the Store. In 1850 Otway B. Nance built a farm in DeSoto that eventually became a Texas historic landmark.

By the 1870s a community developed around Johnson's store. S. E. Judah built a harness shop in the 1870s, and his son built a general store in 1898. In 1884 a post office was established and named DeSoto, either after Hernando De Soto or a local resident, Dr. Thomas Hernando DeSoto Stewart. By 1885 the community had a population of 120, a general store, and a cotton gin. By 1890 only the general store remained, and the population had decreased to forty-one. The post office remained in service until 1906.

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