Following a pattern that was familiar in the development of the West, the city of Abilene, Texas, was founded as a direct result of the building of a railroad. In January of 1881, the Texas and Pacific Railway completed tracks to the townsite of Abilene, and in March of that year an auction sale of town lots was held. Since that time, the city of Abilene has continued to grow and develop, until today, it is known as the commercial, educational, medical, and cultural center of a 22-county trade area.

The first development in the area occurred in 1852 when Fort Phantom Hill was established a few miles northeast of the future location of the city. This Army post was one of a series of garrisons erected to protect the white settlements from Indians. It was also an overnight stop on the overland mail route that followed the Butterfield Trail. The Fort was in use for only three years before the Army abandoned it.

In 1858, a county was carved out of Bexar and Travis Counties and named Taylor in honor of Edward Taylor who was an early settler in West Texas. By 1877, there were several families in this area, and approximately a dozen families were settled in the southern part of the county in a cut or gap in the Callahan Divide. This little settlement, which was named Buffalo Gap, established a post office and secured regular mail service. By 1878, the population of the county had increased to approximately 400 people, and on July 3rd of that year the county was officially organized with Buffalo Gap designated as the county seat.

The railroad considered two possible routes through West Central Texas, one by way of Buffalo Gap and an alternate by way of Fort Phantom Hill. When it seemed quite probable that the road would be built through Buffalo Gap, land values in and around the county seat were driven rapidly upward by speculators. A dispute over land ownership resulted in litigation and caused a delay in the building of the railroad.

In order for the railroad's purposes to be accomplished, a meeting of various officials, civic leaders, and landowners was arranged in the summer of 1880. It was necessary for the group to select a town site in the vicinity and to include the railroad to route its tracks through or near this site. T & P officials negotiated a deal with the owners of some property to the north of Buffalo Gap that bypassed the already thriving town.

One of those landowners, Clabe Merchant, known as "the father of Abilene", reportedly chose the name for the new town. "Abilene" was selected in honor of the Kansas town to which ranchers had been driving their cattle. The name means "grassy plain" and originally came from a Biblical reference in the third chapter of Luke to a Middle East tetrarchy.

Advertisements in newspapers across the state touted what the railroad billed as the "Future Great Town of West Texas." People came in trains and by wagon for the town lot sale. About two weeks before the sale, a Dallas newspaper reported that an estimated 800 people were camping at the town site. The town was laid out and the auction began early on the morning of March 15, 1881. By the end of the first day, 139 lots were sold for a total of $23,810. Another 178 lots were sold the next day for $27,500. The profits were split 50/50 between the railroad and the landowners.

The city was incorporated in 1882 and continued its phenomenal growth. Many of the first stores, hotels, home and even the first school were in tents. As fast as lumber could be shipped in, more permanent structures were built.

On October 31, 1883, the county seat was moved to Abilene from Buffalo Gap as a result of a bitterly fought election. Because Abilene wasn't in the geographic center of the county, it took a two-thirds vote of Taylor County residents to move the county seat. In the hotly contested election, Abilene won by a three-to-one margin.

The railroad gave the city a good foundation, but after a while it was up to Abilenians to champion the expansion of the city. The Abilene Progressive Committee was formed in 1888 to attract more business to town. In 1890, it changed its name to the Abilene Board of Trade. These organizations were the early forerunners of the present Chamber of Commerce.

Abilene had many successes in its early days. Like other cities, it embraced the conveniences of electricity (1891), phone service (1898), natural gas (1914), and a water distribution system. Lakes were built to provide adequate water; schools grew; roads were improved; a federal court was obtained; and the city landed the state epileptic colony, which has evolved into the Abilene State School, still one of the largest employers in the city today.

In 1891, Abilene launched an effort that still shapes the city today. The cornerstone was laid for what would become the first of the city's three church-related universities, Simmons College. Over the years, the school grew into Hardin-Simmons University. It was followed by Childers Classical Institute in 1906, which is now Abilene Christian University. McMurry College opened in 1923. It is now McMurry University. Much more recently, Abilene leaders were successful in bringing Cisco Junior College and Texas State Technical College branches to town.

In 1940, Abilenians raised money to purchase land for a U.S. Army post southwest of town. At its peak, more than 60,000 men were in training at Camp Barkeley, making the military facility twice the size of Abilene. When Camp Barkeley closed, Life magazine speculated Abilene might become a ghost town. Instead, in the post-World War II boom, many of the servicemen returned to start businesses here.

In the early 1950s, Abilene began working to get an Air Force base. Like with Camp Barkeley, residents pitched in for the good of the city. They raised $839,261 (roughly equivalent to about $7 million today) to purchase 3,400 acres for the base. Today, Dyess AFB is the city's largest employer, C-130s from Dyess fly a variety of airlift missions around the world. The base is the home of the B-1 bomber and the schoolhouse for training all B-1 aircrews.

It was also during the 50s that oil became important to Abilene's economy. Between 1951 and 1955, 903 new oil fields were discovered within a 75-mile radius of Abilene. Geologists, operators, landmen and service company workers were drawn to the city. Abilene became headquarters for numerous independent operators and many major companies. A growing number of refining plants became established in the area and furthered Abilene's reputation as the oil center of West Central Texas.

In recent years, the city has diversified its economic base. In the latter part of the 20th century, the economy of Abilene was based on three pillars - oil, agriculture and the military. Following the devastating oil bust of the 80s, Abilene was the state's first city to adopt a half-cent sales tax to fund economic development activities. Since that time, more than 3,000 jobs have been created or retained due to the aid these funds have provided either existing or new businesses. In 1990,Abilene was named an “All-America City” for its efforts to diversify.

The turn of the century has been eventful for our great city. 2001 brought a deployment of troops from Dyess Air Force Base to assist in the war on terrorism in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The city continues to recognize and honor its citizens who serve their country day in and day out. In 2004, Abilene’s future will be linked to the past with the opening of Frontier Texas! This new state of the art multimedia museum will give visitors a glimpse of early frontier life in the region.

Since its beginnings in 1881, Abilene has moved from a cattle-shipping prairie town to a metropolis on the plains. The city's population has grown to approximately 110,000,proving that the citizens of Abilene are people of both vision and determination.

Abilene Chamber of Commerce - 2004