|
|
This area is also known as the Central Mineral Region of Texas. The
abundance and diversity of minerals in this area are unequaled in
the state.
|
|
Once known as the City of Crystals, Llano is
surrounded by thousands of square miles of granite crystals and is at
the center of the largest Pre-Cambrian area on Earth. European
settlers found traces of almost every mineral known to man in this
ancient valley. Rock hunters often search below the dam for rocks and
minerals such as quartz, granite, gneiss, flint, schist, feldspar and
limestone.
Llano County was established in 1856. Anticipation of significant
economic growth based on iron deposits discovered at Iron Mountain in
northwestern Llano County attracted capital from Dallas and from
northern states as the boom years from 1886 to 1893 were launched. The
Llano Improvement and Furnace Company undertook plans for an iron
furnace and foundry, as well development.
However, farming, ranching and the granite industry remained the
foundations of the town's economy in the twentieth century. In the
1920s Llano was a major shipping point for cattle, and the cotton
industry flourished through the 1930s but declined thereafter. Granite
quarrying and finishing retained their importance, amounting to a
million-dollar-a-year industry by the 1950s. |
|
