Area Information

West Kerr County begins at the incorporated town of Ingram, where the tranquil beauty of the Hill Country is reflected in bed & breakfasts, lodges, cabins and guest ranches. You can experience the charm of antique shops, art galleries, and historical sites at the confluence of the Guadalupe River and Johnson Creek.

As you travel State Hwy. 39 from Ingram to Hunt, you are never more than a stone's throw from the Guadalupe River, home and origin of the one-of-a-kind Guadalupe Bass, the Texas State Fish. At Hunt where the North and South Forks of the Guadalupe River join, you can just "sit a spell" while making the difficult decision of continuing on Hwy. 39, the South Fork of the Guadalupe River OR take FM. 1340 following the North Fork of the Guadalupe River.

If you choose to leave Ingram on State Hwy. 27, your route will closely parallel Johnson Creek, a main tributary of the Guadalupe River. Hwy. 27 intersects with State Hwy. 41 at Mountain Home and the headwaters of Johnson Creek. West Kerr County, historically and presently, is noted for large and small cattle and horse ranches which also boast of year round native and exotic game hunting. State Hwy. 41 eventually intersects with FM. 1340 just a few miles from the famous YO Ranch on the Edwards Plateau (The Divide).

Continuing on Hwy. 41, within a few miles, you will intersect Hwy. 83 at old Garven Store and near the county line. If you choose to continue on State Hwy. 27 at Mountain Home, which parallels Interstate 10, you will reach the Kerr County line at Midway, Kerr County's highest elevation (2,396 feet).

The Divide, (Hwy 41). Prior to 1875, the only large trees in the region were found along the rivers and creeks or protected canyons due to the annual grass fires set by Indians to provide fresh green grass in the spring to lure herds of buffalo and antelope into the area. The last Indian raid in the region occurred in 1882. Homesteaders rushed to settle the top of the Edwards Plateau during the period from 1881 to 1885. They discovered that there was a strip of land from five to fifteen miles wide, running in an east-west direction, dividing the rainfall run-off into the various rivers; so it thus became known as "The Divide". The coming of windmills to the Divide, during or shortly after 1880, changed the region into one of the premier ranching areas of Texas. One of the few remaining active one-room schoolhouses in the U.S. is the Divide School on the Warren Klein ranch, located on Hwy. 41 near the entrance to the world-famous YO Ranch. The Divide is the heart of the Angora goat production in Texas. Additionally, sheep and cattle are stocked in the region. Numerous exotic wildlife ranches are found on the Divide today, where game animals and birds from Africa, India, Europe, Asia, and Australia can be found running around in the shin oak, juniper, and live oaks. Much of James Michener's TEXAS deals with the Divide area.

Hunt (Intersection of Hwy. 39 and FM 1340) "Hunt Happenings" really do happen on a daily basis in a tranquil way at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the beautiful Guadalupe River. If you do "sit a spell", you will want to make it home permanently. The community began in 1912; however, the visible history of dinosaur tracks in the river bed of the South Fork of the Guadalupe River, west of Hunt, tells us there were other inhabitants some 115 million years ago. Youth camps and summer homes were being built as early as the 1920's and are still a summertime Mecca worldwide.

Ingram (Intersection of Hwy. 27 and Hwy. 39) Home to about 2,000 people, Ingram was founded in 1879.. Located at the confluence of the Guadalupe River and Johnson Creek, this was a quaint little community located on the Old Spanish Trail with a unique architectural style of rock homes and buildings. Ingram has a long history behind it and served as a commercial center for ranchers, shingle-makers, a few outlaws and an historic Texas Ranger Company. When "New Town" moved up away from the river, all new buildings carried a tradition of rock exterior utilizing bountiful local rock. At T.J. Moore's in the heart of town there is a display which includes 2,768 square feet of painted murals telling highlight stories of the area history. "Old Town", now known as "Old Ingram Loop", has a host of friendly folks and novel craftsman shops. These friendly faces can tell you of the origins of Ingram, going back to 1879 when the Reverend J.C.W. Ingram founded what is now Old Ingram by the river, the subsequent Indian massacre and the cedar shingle and mohair industries. Just across Johnson Creek from Old Ingram is the nationally-acclaimed art center, the Hill Country Arts Foundation, which provides outdoor/indoor theater and art gallery and art workshops for local and national artists. Ingram started with excitement and it still flows!

Mountain Home (intersection of Hwy. 41 and 27). The community has had its name for good since 1923 when Mrs. Olive Estes changed it from Ura. One reason was the large two-story house that sat close to the road from Johnson Creek and you could look up and see the "mountains". Not big mountainscertainly, but to early settlers having to drive their teams up the grades with wagons loaded in ranch supplies, they seemed pretty high. The stage coach line that went from Kerrville to Junction pulled those grades and made a stop in Mountain Home. The Mountain Home Post Office serves a large ranching community - The Divide, the Heart of the Hills Research Station, Sunset Baptist Church and Cowboy Camp Meeting.

Begins 5 miles west of Kerrville, Texas.
Altitude: 1,600 - 2,400 feet above sea level
Average annual rainfall: 31.50 inches
Average temperature: January - 47 degrees F./July - 81 degrees F.
Average days of sunshine: 275 each year

Ingram Independent School District: Pre-K through 12 grades. Located at 700 Highway 39, Ingram, TX 78025, (830) 367-5517. Ingram ISD is a progressive school district of approximately 1,500 students (3A school). Nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country with a view of the magnificent Guadalupe River, Ingram ISD serves a 209 square mile area in the communities of Ingram, Hunt, Mountain Home and Divide. A new elementary school and new physical education facility on the high school campus opened in the fall of 1998. The overall pupil/teacher ratio is 12 to 1. Ethnicity: 81% white, 17% Hispanic, 1% African American, 1% other. Ingram ISD motto: "Hands On...Minds On!"

Hunt Independent School District: Pre-K through 8th grades. P.O. Box 259, Hunt, TX 78024, (830) 238-4893. First known as Japonica School. The Hunt School has had its present location since 1926. The Hunt School is known as the best little school in the State of Texas. For example, in 1983 the 5th and 6th grades were taught how to apply the lessons of a free-enterprise system and legally incorporated with the name of The Hunt 5th and 6th Grade Classes, Inc. (HFSGCL). They adopted by-laws which governed everything from impeachment proceedings to terminating students who do not maintain passing grades. The preamble states that HFSGCI goals are "To do things which will help us in the future, to try to take our time and do things right, to honor our country and be patriotic, to keep up our grades, to try to learn to deal with money and people, to conduct our business in a business-like way, to always try to help others, to work as a team, to be able to take criticism, to respect our elders, to be truthful, honest and dependable." The business has six officers, they meet with their bankers alone, for borrowing money or any other transaction. They make their own travel arrangements and appointments. Over the years, these youngsters have earned enough money for class trips to Cuernavaca, Mexico; Washington, DC; and Norfolk, Virginia. They have appeared on "The Today Show", "P.M. Magazine", and "Real People". They have also earned a write-up in "Nation's Business" magazine.

Divide Independent School District: Pre-K through 6 grades. P.O. Box 275, Mountain Home, TX 78058, (830) 640-3322. The Divide School campus is on Hwy. 41, approximately 29 miles NW of Ingram. The campus consists of the original building built in 1936 and a Pre-K building built in 1997. The students attending the Divide School come from the surrounding ranches and are quite accustomed to the livestock and wildlife that roam the campus. While the outside has remained much the same from the beginning, the inside has seen many changes. The Divide ISD is the oldest remaining "one-room" school in Texas and stays abreast of the times, purchasing it's first computers in the late 1980's and since then has continually updated and introduced new technology just as rapidly as its counterparts in the more metropolitan areas. The Divide ISD has satellite access with its T-Star system and Internet access through a T-1 line. Recently, through a Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund grant, the district installed an integrated local area network computer system and added 18 new computers to the school. Students at the Divide learn the basics in reading, writing, and math along with the newest technological skills to prepare them for success in higher education and in life.

Holy Cross Lutheran School, 210 Spence Street, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 257-6750.
Notre Dame Catholic School, 923 Main Street, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 257-6707.
St. Peter's Episcopal Day School, 956 Main Street, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 257-5311.
Grace Christian School, 601 Southway Drive, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 896-1783.

Schreiner University, 2100 Memorial Blvd., Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 896-5411. A four-year college of approximately 625 students.

1689	Guadalupe River was named by General Alonzo De Leon.
1825	James Kerr (for whom Kerr County is named ) founded the town of Gonzales at junction of Guadalupe and San Marcos Rivers.
1846	From Gonzales, Joshua Brown rode horseback up the Guadalupe to its headwaters in West Kerr County to verify stories of giant Cypress trees along it's banks. More than satisfied, Joshua returned to Gonzales, assembled a group of 10 shingle makers, and journeyed back up river to establish a shingle camp in Kerr County.
1850	Freight haulers made the hazardous monthly trips from West Kerr County to San Antonio.
1856	Kerr County is organized officially and first County Courthouse completed made of logs sixteen feet long.
1857	No fewer than 10 mills--grist, flour, lumber, cotton--were along the Guadalupe River between Hunt and Comfort. Purebred Sheep and Angora goats range West Kerr County--the beginning of the wool and mohair industry.
1860	Profitable cattle drives to Kansas territory prompted Longhorn cattle ranching.
1865	One of the last years that area Indians annually burned the "Divide" grassland to provide fresh spring grazing to entice buffalo and antelope into the area.
1872	Cattle drives to Kansas on the Old Chisholm Trail from the Texas Hill Country to Abilene, Kansas, began.
1875	Wool and Mohair Growers Association had an up-hill battle with the cattlemen until it was learned how compatible and lucrative ranching cattle with sheep and goats could be.
1878	Last recorded Indian massacre resulted in death of 4 children of the Dowdy family (historical marker, Sunset Cemetery, Mountain Home).
1879	Hunt Baptist Church was founded by a group of pioneer families and was the first Baptist Church to be organized in the area and surrounding counties.
1880	Charles Schreiner bought the present YO Ranch and has continued operations in the same Schreiner family for five generations.
1880	Windmills for water arrive on The Divide.
1881	Pioneer families begin to rush to The Divide.
1882	The last Indian Raid.
1882	Pioneer Jack McNeil operated first blacksmith shop in Ingram Settlement.
1915	The Guadalupe River rose to 30 feet with flood waters and at the same time, Johnson Creek came down with the biggest rise in history, flooding Old Ingram.
1921	Kerr County was name the healthiest spot in U.S. inspiring numerous Summer youth camps, especially in the Hunt area.
1932	Devastating flood, Guadalupe River rose 35 feet.
1939	Ranchers all over the Hill Country donated money and time to build the Camp Meeting Tabernacle. Several denominations combine for the services for four generations. Its popularity has grown over the years because of the humility and sincerity of the participants.
1940	Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel hunted buffalo in Kerr County.
1941	The last YO cattle drive from the Divide to the Kerrville railhead for shipment to San Antonio.
1949	MO Ranch became the conference center of Presbyterians in the Southwest by purchasing 377 acres from the Daniel J. Moran family. The remaining 6,500 acres was then sold to the State of Texas and are now the Kerr Wildlife Management Area.
1950	Terrible seven year drought with dust storms. Even buzzards attack livestock as they were being birthed.
1956	Kerr County Centennial Celebration.
1958	The Hill Country Arts Foundation was started by several interested people from Houston and incorporated in 1959.
1976	The first high school in West Kerr County, Ingram Tom Moore High School, was built, with these words etched in granite in the foyer, "Ingram Moore High School, established 1980, A student centered school in a student centered community where the standard of quality education will not be compromised."
1986	Kerr County Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Law Enforcement Agencies:

District State Highway Patrol
District State Parks and Wildlife
Kerr County Sheriffs Department
Ingram City Marshals
Kerr County Justice of Peace, Precinct 4

West Kerr County Post Offices:

Ingram - 78025
Hunt - 78024
Mountain Home - 78058

West Kerr County Churches:

Divide: Divide Presbyterian Chapel on Hwy. 41 near the Divide School and entrance to the YO Ranch. Services are held on the first and third Sunday afternoons with ministers coming from Kerrville. Mail: c/o First Presbyterian Church, 800 Jefferson Street, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 257-3310.

Hunt: Hunt Baptist Church (1 block north of Hwy. 39 and FM 1340) P.O. Box 124, Hunt, TX 78024 (830) 238-4863.
Hunt United Methodist Church (Hwy. 39, 1 mile west of FM 1340) P.O. Box 137, Hunt, TX 78024 (830) 238-4360.
Presbyterian MO-Ranch Assembly (11 miles NW of Hunt on FM 1340), since 1949. Still bears the name of the original ranch pioneer, Dan Moran, from whose estate it was purchased and includes most of the original, unique rock buildings along the North Fork of the Guadalupe River. MO-Ranch, once the home of one man and his family, is now a place where more than 25,000 people annually come to play, learn, relax, and find a deeper spiritual relationship with God, their families, and themselves.

Ingram: Church of the Hills (1 block west of the "Y" in Ingram on Hwy. 27) 215 Hwy.27 West, Ingram, TX 78025 (830) 367-4614.
First Baptist Church of Ingram (corner of College and Main Street) P.O. Box 1009, Ingram, TX 78025 (830) 367-5363.
First Presbyterian Church (across from the Point Theater on Hwy. 39) P.O. Box 629, Ingram, TX (830) 367-5672.

Mountain Home: Sunset Baptist Church (on Hwy 27 approximately 2 miles south of Mountain Home) P.O. Box 103, Mountain Home, TX 78058 (830) 866-3498 or 866-3415.
Hill Country Cowboy Camp Meeting (on Hwy. 27 between Ingram and Mountain Home) Non-denominational. Meets the first Sunday in August all week through the second Sunday.

West Kerr County Fire Departments:

All Volunteer Fire Departments (Ingram, Hunt, Mountain Home, The Divide)

West Kerr County Cemeteries:

Hunt: Japonica Cemetery - Historical Site on FM 1340
Ingram: Nichols Cemetery - Historical Site on Hwy. 27
Mountain Home: Sunset Cemetery - Historical Site on Hwy. 27

Annual Events of Interest or "Must See and Do" in West Kerr County

Hill Country Bike Tour - Easter Weekend

Hunt Volunteer Fire Department - Easter Weekend Chili Cook-Off

Wildflower Tour - Spring and early summer - 2-hour drive loops from Kerrville on Hwy. 27 through Ingram, to Mountain Home, left on Hwy. 41 to FM 1340, turn left to Hunt, Hwy. 39 back to Ingram.

YO Ranch Trail Ride - May

Point Summer Theater, Hill Country Arts Foundation - year round

Crider's Rodeo and Dance - Oldest outdoor dance hall in Texas with rodeo. (830) 238-4441. 3 miles west of Hunt on Hwy. 39. Saturday nights in Summer. Rodeo at 8pm, dance at 9pm - 1am. Concessions on grounds.

Hill Country Camp Meeting, Mountain Home, Non-denominational, open air tabernacle, 1st Sunday in August all week through 2nd Sunday. Bar B-Q, covered-dish, singing, Bible study, and preaching. Just off Hwy. 27 between Ingram and Mountain Home.

Hunting Season begins first Saturday in November.

West Kerr County Hunter's Festival, the Saturday Hunting Season opens.

Christmas Tree Lighting and Christmas Festival in Ingram - December.

Fishing: Hunt area...most bridges...Shumaker Crossing with roadside park... Hunt bridge crossing with Lion's Club dam. Ingram area...Ingram Dam - put your boat in one-half mile west of dam on Hwy. 39. Johnson Creek bridge on Hwy. 39...Indian Creek crossing just off Old Ingram Loop.

Swimming: At Ingram Dam, MO Ranch (FM 1340 from Hunt), rope swing at Hunt crossing. Many local lodges and cabins with private river frontage and pools.

Historical Markers: Old Ingram - Sherman's Mill - Nichols Cemetery, Japonica Cemetery, Sunset Cemetery, Divide School, YO Ranch, Texas Catholic Boys Camp Roadside Park (Hwy. 27 from Ingram).

Hunting: Contact the West Kerr County Chamber of Commerce (800) 257-4322. Also check the business listings on this web site.

Lodging: Contact the West Kerr County Chamber of Commerce (800) 257-4322. Also check the business listings on this web site.

Texas State Facilities of Special Interest Located in West Kerr County:

Kerr Wildlife Management Area: Part of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife Department. Located on FM 1340 between Hunt and the Divide. Free self-guided car tours. Maps are provided at the front gate. You will see native wildlife species almost every day during daylight hours. For more information, phone (830) 238-4483.

Heart of the Hills Research Stations: Part of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife Department. Located 9 miles northwest of Ingram on Hwy. 27. The only fishery research station in Texas with a state-of-the-art fishery research facility whose staff of research biologists and technicians conducts a variety of applied fishery research studies aimed at improving freshwater sport fishing and the integrity of the entire aquatic community throughout Texas. Heart of the Hills has its roots buried deep in the past with the origin of Stockman's Springs, one of the largest springs in Kerr County. Just as these springs today provide the life-giving waters for the research station, they once supplied the Indians of the Archaic period (400-3,000 years ago) as well as weary travelers on the Chihuahua Road from Mexico to Indianola.

In 1925, the State of Texas obtained water rights to the springs, and thanks to the donation of a parcel of land, opened Heart of the Hills Fish Hatchery. Water traveled from the springs to the hatchery via an earthen canal until 1935, when Works Projects Administration undertook the building of the present concrete canal system. From 1925 until 1969, Heart of the Hills served as a production hatchery, producing largemouth bass, channel catfish and bluegills for statewide stocking programs. Hatchery staff consisted of a superintendent and two technicians. In the early years, the grounds were even used to raise deer to support wildlife stocking programs. In 1969, with financial support from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, Heart of the Hills became a fisheries research station. A research staff was formed by bringing in several biologists and technicians from fisheries management districts across the state. Many of the original hatchery ponds were reconfigured and buildings were reworked to create indoor laboratories. An office building, shop, and storage building for field equipment were also added.

Today, Heart of the Hills is complete with a staff of highly trained fisheries researchers supported by an array of outdoor ponds, several indoor laboratories and a variety of field-sampling equipment. Individual research studies deal with topics ranging from fish age and growth, behavior, ecology, genetics, modeling and reproduction, and involve species ranging from the most common sport fishes to the rare, endangered species. Though much of the research is conducted right in the station, many studies are carried out elsewhere in Texas. Heart of the Hills is open for public tours 8-5, Monday-Friday. Large groups are advised to call in advance, (830) 866-3356, to schedule a convenient time.

The Wild and the Beautiful:

Home, sweet Home. West Kerr County is home to over 300 species of birds, 300 species of butterflies and moths, 30 species of mammals, 36 species of snakes, 17 species of lizards, 10 species of turtles, 18 species of amphibians, 35 species of fish, 70 species of trees, 300 species of wildflowers, and 70 species of grasses.

Nearby Area Health Care Facilities:

Sid Peterson Memorial Regional Hospital: 710 Water Street, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 896-4200.
Kerrville State Hospital: Psychiatric care. Thompson Drive, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 896-2211.
Veterans Administration Hospital: Memorial Blvd., Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 896-2020.
Kerrville Radiation Therapy Center: Provides therapy for cancer patients with an oncologist on duty. (830) 257-2070.
KAMBRO Health Center: A 15-station free standing dialysis center. Also care for CAPD patients. Accepts visiting or transient patients as well as residents. Kerrville. (830) 896-8107.
Heart of the Hills Cardiac Rehabilitation & Osteoporosis Center: Also have bone density scans and physician and trained staff prescribe individual exercise program for cardiac rehab. Kerrville, TX (830) 257-6363.
Dietert Claim Senior Center: A learning and social center for senior citizens and also offers "Meals on Wheels". 617 Jefferson, Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 257-6228.

All areas of Kerr County also offer a wide variety of retirement centers, quality nursing homes, home health agencies, and many other health related businesses, such as hearing aide centers and vision/optics centers with doctors on staff.
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