Junction, Texas

Junction is the county seat of Kimble County, a town of 2,451 people at the 2020 census, at about 1,709 feet. It sits where the North Llano and South Llano rivers meet, and it is named for that meeting. Interstate 10, US 83 and US 377 all serve the town, and San Antonio is about 115 miles to the southeast. Junction, Texas, is a working county seat first and a river town second, and most of what a visitor comes for follows from the water.

The History

Kimble County was organized on January 3, 1876, and two towns were laid out that spring. Kimbleville was made the first county seat. The other town was platted as Denman, for the surveyor Marcellus Denman. The seat moved to the newer town during the county's first district court session, and Kimbleville, built on flood-prone ground, soon disappeared. Denman became Junction City in 1877, and in 1894 the post office shortened the name to Junction.

By 1882 the town had about 300 people, a courthouse, a jail, a school, two churches and two stores. Its courthouses did not last. Fire took the first one, and the county's records with it, in 1884. Fire damaged the second in 1888. That building was repaired and served until 1929, when the present Kimble County Courthouse was built. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

Four Mile Dam was completed in 1904. By 1922 State Highway 27, still unpaved, ran through Junction southeast to Kerrville and west to Sonora. The town incorporated in 1927, bought its water system in 1928 and built a sewer system in 1929. Cattle and sheep had dominated the county since the late 1800s, and by the late 1920s Kimble County was one of the state's leaders in wool and mohair.

What Junction Is Known For

The rivers, first. The North Llano and South Llano meet here, and the Llano runs east from Junction through Mason County and the town of Llano to Lake LBJ at Kingsland. Every river town downstream is fed by the water that comes together at Junction.

Ranch country, second. Cattle and sheep built the county's economy, and mohair came with the goats. Texas Tech University runs a satellite campus here, the Texas Tech University Center at Junction, on a 410-acre site.

It is not Fredericksburg. There is no main street of tasting rooms and boutiques. Junction is a small county seat on an interstate, with county offices, a school and a courthouse square, and the rivers a few minutes from all of it.

Outdoor & Nature

South Llano River State Park, south of town, has two miles of river frontage and 22.7 miles of trails for hiking and biking. More than 250 bird species have been recorded there, and four bird blinds look out over the river bottom. The bottom is also a winter roost for Rio Grande turkeys, so from October 1 through March 31 the day-use area is open only from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the trails close each afternoon at 3.

The South Llano Paddling Trail links the park to town: about 6.3 miles of spring-fed river from the state park to Junction City Park, with a crossing at Flatrock Lane that splits it into a longer and a shorter run. River levels here change quickly. Check the live gauges and the park's own guidance before getting in the water.

Practical Information

Interstate 10 is the main way in. US 83 runs north to Menard and south toward Leakey, and US 377 runs northeast to Mason and southwest toward Rocksprings. South Llano River State Park is on Park Road 73, off US 377 south of town, and charges a daily entrance fee. The courthouse, the county museum and the city park are in town.

The Surrounding Area

Junction is the western end of Llano River Country. Mason is northeast up US 377, and Llano and Castell lie farther down the river. Kerrville is southeast on Interstate 10. Beyond the network, the ranch towns of Menard, Sonora and Rocksprings lie to the north, west and southwest.

Why It Matters for the Hill Country

Junction is where the Llano begins. The crossing at Castell, the river through Llano and the water in Lake LBJ all start with the two rivers that meet here. The town shows the western Hill Country plainly: a county seat built at a confluence, a ranching economy that shaped the county, and a state park that protects river bottom and turkey roosts within sight of the interstate.