The History of Castle Hills
Castle Hills like many other cities enjoyed a simple beginning. The earliest inhabitants of the area were the Native Americans who settled and occupied the region between 1600 - 1875. The tribes which called this area home included the Coahuiltecans, Apaches, and later the Comanches. The occasional unearthed arrowhead or piece of pottery serve as evidence of their settlement near the intersection of what is now West Avenue and Loop 410. Here they fashioned flint arrowheads, tomahawks, and other implements from the flint rock that was plentiful in this area. In the early 1900’s this location became a productive gravel pit. However, it has since been filled in and leveled as it appears today.
The area was originally settled in the early 1920’s by a handful of families attracted by the plentiful water supply provided by the Olmos Creek. Many of these first families of Castle Hills were tied to the oil industry. Perhaps most notable the Slimp Family, whose house was set atop a hill for which the city was named. The town quickly grew into a cohesive, thriving community. In fact, the development of some of today’s thoroughfares and public facilities was provided through the generosity of its early citizens.
The city’s first elected Council members were: Adolph Dolch, Jim Sierdevan, Jimmy Hanning, Harold Grist, and Leslie Dunn, with Leonard Yeckel as their first Mayor.
“The success of the development and growth of our City cannot be credited to any one person. Each person who has served the City, each resident that has lived here has contributed to our success in one way or another.”
From Birth of a City by
Leonard Yeckel
First Mayor of Castle Hills
