Valley View
Historical marker location:In 1870, Captain L.W. Lee and his wife Mary Ann (Fryer) came from Missouri to a tall grass prairie overlooking a valley. Several friends from Missouri soon arrived, and by 1872 the settlers founded the town of Valley View, platting streets and securing a post office. A mill, gin and school were all quickly established. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway arrived in 1886, and by 1890 the community also boasted a hotel, four churches and a newspaper. Valley View schools incorporated in 1902, and by the following year there was a brick schoolhouse, a bank and telephone service. Native son J. Marvin Jones (1882-1976) served 59 years as U.S. Congressman and Federal Judge. The city of Valley View incorporated in 1979. (2007) Marker is property of the state of Texas.
In the late 19th century, Texas became known for its cattle drives, in which cowboys would move herds of cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas and other northern states. The cattle drives were dangerous and difficult work, but they played a key role in the development of the American cattle industry.