Temple, Bell County
Stampede Creek takes its name from a horse stampede that occurred near this site in 1839. On May 26 of that year, Capt. John Bird and a Ranger force of 34 men encountered more than 200 Caddo, Kickapoo and Comanche Indians at what became known as the Battle of Bird's Creek. The Rangers returned to Bird's Creek a week later to bury their dead and then headed west in pursuit of the Indians. The horse stampede took place on the evening of June 4 while the Ranger force camped along the nearby creek, later named for the incident. On July 4, 1876, the stream was the site of another stampede, this time of cattle being driven north from South Texas. (2002)