Harper

History

On December 15, 1847, a petition was submitted to create Gillespie County. In 1848, the legislature formed Gillespie County from Bexar and Travis Counties. While the signers were overwhelmingly German immigrants, names also on the petition were Castillo, Pena, Munos, and a handful of Anglo names. The first white settlers were the families of Eli McDonald and Matthew Taylor in 1863. A historical marker just south of U.S. Highway 290 commemorates the McDonald massacre of August 1864. This incident involved the killing of two family members and the kidnapping of five more by Kiowa Indians. A post office was established in 1883 by George Franklin Harper, for whom the town was named. By 1985, the town served a large ranching area and had six churches, a fire department and ambulance services, a public school, and growing residential subdivisions. The population of the area exceeded 1,000 by 2000.

Geography

Harper is located in western Gillespie County, about northwest of San Antonio and west of Austin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.14%, is covered by water. The headwaters of the Pedernales River flow through the community. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Harper has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  828
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  728
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  680
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  637
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  550
• Black-crested Titmouse

  Baeolophus atricristatus (Cassin, 1850) · Aves
  544
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  520
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  506