The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 67, Ed. 1 Friday, August 20, 1999 Page: 61 of 88
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THE CLIFTON RECORD
BOSQUE COUNTY, U.S.A., FRIDAY, AUG. 20, 1999 - 49
Bosque County, Texas, U.S.A.
Clifton, Texas
Norwegian Capital of Texas
Clifton Offers Diversity, Traditon
Although Clifton celebrated its cen-
tennial in 1952, the first public buildings
were not recorded until the early 1860s.
The Clifton post office was established
on July 22,1859.
Clifton’s history can be divided into
two time periods as well as two geo-
graphic locations. “Old Clifton" was es-
tablished north and east of the present
day location.
The primary attraction to settlers was
the construction of a water mill on the
Bosque River shortly after the Civil War.
“The Old Mill,” as it became known, fur-
nished flour to the City of Waco during
Bosque County’s early years Originally
constructed of logs, the mill was recon-
structed of stone in 1868, and continued
to operate as a mill until 1905.
For several years afterward it was
used as Clifton’s electric power plant.
One of Clifton’s earliest settlers was
Francis Marion Kell, who moved to
Bosque County in 1852 and owned much
of the land now in the city. A 1,280-acre
tract of land near Kell’s was owned by a
General Mesina of France, one of Napo-
leon Bonaparte’s marshals. After the
general’s death, the entire 1,280 acres
was offered to Kell for $50. Kell refused,
saying, as did many settlers, that land
was too plentiful to be worth much.
The exodus from “old Clifton” to the
present-day location one mile south be-
gan in 1880 when the Gulf, Colorado, and
Santa Fe Railroad bought land from Kell
and built its depot. The railway was
completed through this area in 1881,
and mass emigration to “new Clifton”
began the following spring.
Today, the City of Clifton is being ac-
curately described as a fantastic place
for families subject to the rat race and
insecurities of big cities to relocate.
Many who have moved here have
looked throughout the state for a place
to raise their families in a value-rich set-
ting that provides opportunities for
growth, prosperity, and a pleasant way
of life — to expose their children to a
way of life that is vanishing in much of
society today.
They see in Clifton an energetic com-
munity, with wide and evolving diversity
— a city that provides a solid founda-
tion on which citizens are given the op-
rtunity to become the best they can
Located in south-central Bosque
County, Clifton is part of the beautiful
The Old Mill and Old Mill Dam during the early days of the century
hill country of Texas, with diverse rec-
reational capabilities all around.
There’s Lake Whitney 10 miles to the
northeast, Meridian State Park nine
miles to the north, the Bosque River
that flows through Clifton, a city swim
ming pool, tennis and basketball courts,
baseball parks and a football/track and
field complex, walking trails, tourist at-
tractions like the Bosque Memorial
Museum, and nature trails.
For persons wanting to live in a
smaller city but have easy access to
metropolitan areas, Clifton can provide
the best of both worlds, as Waco and
Temple are just half-an-hour away The
Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex and the
greater Austin area are each just under
two hours away, too.
Clifton offers a level of diversity that
most communities its size do not. For
instance, the Goodall Witcher
Healthcare Foundation and Clifton Medi
cal Clinic have long served residents of
the greater Bosque County area, provid
ing quality health care locally and the
safety net of knowing there's a top notch
medical facility “just down the street"
For those who aspire to enhance their
creative talents, there’s the Bosque Con
servatory — a facility started in the early
1980s that provides area residents with
an outlet for expressing and developing
their abilities related to a wide range of
fine art Several of the nation's great
western artists have chosen Clifton as
their home In fact, Clifton has been des
ignatecfas one of the top 10 art cities in
the nation
Clifton offers a highly regarded, grow
Continued On Next Page
On Sea and Ground
NORWEGIAN SHIP — Tha Norwegian Society ot
Texas’ ship often appears at events in Bosque County,
and sometimes, Vikings travel with It.
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Smith, W. Leon. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 67, Ed. 1 Friday, August 20, 1999, newspaper, August 20, 1999; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth791182/m1/61/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.