(Foreword: I originally wrote this brief sketch in 1998
after I noticed that some of the other towns in Cooke County had a town history posted on the internet and there
was none for Valley View. I wrote the
original version to the best of my ability at that time. Over the past 10 years I have continued doing
research of Valley View history. I have
experienced many meaningful rewards some of which has come from my 5 trips to Missouri going through records in the counties of Howard,
Cooper, Johnson and Henry. Often the
result of research will come a better understanding of how events unfolded and
the original story changes as new/different information is found. That is the reason for this update to more
accurately record our history.) Norman
L. Newton
Brief Historical Sketch – Valley View, Texas
Written by Norman L. Newton , 1998, rev., 9/23/08
In 1870 seven families from Missouri came to settle in the southern part of Cooke County, 10 miles south of Gainesville. These families were Captain L. W. Lee, D.A.
Jones, Gilbert French, Richard McCubbin, Andrew Hill, Joseph Reavis and William
Obuch. The Lee family was the first to arrive on February 1, 1870
with the others to soon follow. Captain
and Mrs. Lee are considered the founders of Valley View. A little
known fact is that Mrs. Lee gave birth to a son, Perry, shortly after arriving
on February 27, 1870.
The birth of the town came two years later as a
result of these early pioneers having to travel to Gainesville for all their provisions, mail, plows sharpened and
the education of their children. Sometimes it would rain causing Elm
Creek to rise and since there were no bridges they couldn't obtain the needed
provisions or even retrieve their school children. Mrs. Lee told her
husband, Capt. Lee, that she couldn't stand that, and he responded, "We
would have to build a town of our own". Mrs. Lee then told him
"alright" and he went to work. Capt. Lee asked William Obuch
for help, as he was a skilled surveyor and penman. Mr. Obuch drew the
blue print for laying out and naming the original streets. Captain Lee
gave every man who would come to the town a lot if they would build a house and
paint it white. Mrs. Lee gave the town its name Valley View because of
the pretty view looking west toward the valley on Spring Creek.
Valley View officially became a town on March 26,
1872 with the establishment of a Post Office. Mrs. Lee remarked when the
town was about 10 years old, "It was the prettiest, whitest little town I
ever saw."
The town would suffer several devastating fires
through the years, but would always rebound back due to the caring spirit of
its townspeople. The town voted to incorporate in 1979. The town is served by a
mayor and 5 aldermen.
The Valley View Chamber of Commerce was organized in
1997 and promotes the attributes this area offers.
Points to be proud of:
- Churches -
First Baptist, United Methodist, Church of Christ, St. John’s Catholic, Christian Gathering. (In order of formation)
- School System Rated EXEMPLARY, this is the highest rating given by the Texas
Education Agency.
- John Marvin Jones, Son of Horace King and Theodocia Jones, born on
2-26-1882 in Valley View. Marvin being raised on his parent’s wheat
and cotton farm grew up with strong agrarian roots and a taste for
Democratic politics. Marvin is considered to be Cooke County's most distinguished native son. He was elected to Congress
in 1916 representing 47 counties including Cooke and served continuously
until 1940, when he was appointed to the court of claims by President
Roosevelt. Because of his knowledge of farm and food problems and
his standing as a jurist, Judge Jones was named to preside at the
International Food Conference at Hot Springs, Virginia, in 1943. His appointment as War Food
Administrator followed soon afterward. After V-J Day in 1945, Judge Jones
returned to the court of claims and in July, 1947, was confirmed as Chief
Justice of the United States court of claims. He was noted for being a
friend of agriculture throughout his life. The J. Marvin Jones
Federal Building at Amarillo serves as a reminder of his dedicated service and contributions
toward the betterment of our country.
- First Cattlemen's Organization - cattlemen of North Texas were plagued by cattle thieves. The first
Cattlemen's Organization to combat them was started in Valley View about
1875 by Harvey Hulen, L. W. Lee, William Obuch, Capt. A. T. Ball, Charles
S. Newton and others. This organization was the forerunner of the
Texas Cattle Raisers Association, which was formed in Graham, February 15,
1887.
- Keep Valley View Beautiful – won the Governors Award in 2006 for small
towns. The KVVB committee chose to
rebuild the cities town square which was completed in July, 2008.
Today with a population of 737 Valley View is a quiet town with its
townspeople offering a friendly warm welcome to all who come to live or
visit. We are proud of the foundation our forefathers laid before us
and our contribution to Cooke County's interesting history.
We are proud to call Valley View
HOME.
A much more informative history can be
found at the Valley View History Website, “UNDER THE SHADE TREE”.
http://www.oocities.org/valleyview1872