George B. Erath

The county was surveyed by George Bernard Erath, Erath County’s namesake. After Norwegian settlers arrived, Dr. Josephus M Steiner and Andrew Montgomery donated a total of 120 acres in 1854. That same July 4, lots were auctioned off. That fall, a one-room log courthouse stood as the center of government. These log cabins were popular for local structures until after the turn of the 20th century. A tavern also opened before the end of 1854. The county received its name from the Bosque River, likely named by the Marius de Aguado expedition that traveled from San Antonio to east Texas in 1721, according to "A History of Bosque County" Texas by William C. Pool. Bosque is the Spanish word for woods.