Horseshoe Bend, Texas is located approximately 12 miles south of Weatherford in southern Parker County. The community sits in a horseshoe-shaped bend along the Brazos River.
Once known as Tin Top, Texas settled in the mid-1880s it was first called Smith after an early settler, and later, Irby, after local rancher Benjamin F. Irby. The name Tin Top derived from a cotton gin built there in 1909; it had a galvanized-metal roof that could be seen for miles. The community lay dormant until 1949, when its few scattered residents combined with those of nearby Balch, Horse Shoe Bend, and Hightower under the name Tin Top; they built a community center and reestablished churches. From 1980 through 1990 the community reported a population of twenty-five. The Tin Top Suspension Bridge, which spans the Brazos River, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Brazos River also called the Río de los Brazos de Dios (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at 1,280 miles (2,060 km) from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Roosevelt County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a 45,000-square-mile (116,000 km2) drainage basin. Being one of Texas' largest rivers, it is sometimes used to mark the boundary between East Texas and West Texas.
The river is closely associated with Texas history, particularly the Austin settlement and Texas Revolution eras. Today major Texas institutions such as Texas Tech University, Baylor University, and Texas A&M University are located close to the river's basin, as are parts of metropolitan Houston.
Portal to Texas History
Photograph of Joseph Daniel Mitchell (1848-1922) - pioneer, entomologist and conchologist and a black and white dog standing in a wooded area located in Horseshoe Bend.
This photo taken on February 14, 1911 is part of the collection entitled Rescuing Texas History, 2009. Included within are photographs, oral histories, artwork, letters, and more. These more than 5,000 items give a glimpse into the diverse people that have called Texas home over the years.
Funding provided by the Summerlee Foundation.
Brazos River Songs
La Llorona
Folk Song - Stay away from the river, little children.
"Weeping Woman" or "The Wailer" is a Hispanic-American mythical vengeful ghost who is said to roam near the river mourning her children whom she drowned.
The legend of La Llorona is deeply rooted in Mexican popular culture. Her story is told to children to encourage them not to wander off in the dark and near bodies of water such as rivers. Her spirit is often evoked in artwork such as that of Alejandro Colunga.La Cihuacoatle, Leyenda de la Llorona is a yearly waterfront theatrical performance of the legend of La Llorona set in the canals of the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City, which was established in 1993 to coincide with the Day of the Dead.
She can be seen in most parts of Mexico and children are typically warned to not go near rivers or lakes at night. There is a legend that if you hear her cries being distant it means she's close, and if they seem close that she's far. She usually has a loud cry kind of like a coyote/owl and typically screams " Ay mis hijos " meaning "oh my children".r, Children
Stay Away fr
Explore outside of the Bend
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Horseshoe Bend is located approximately 12 miles south of Weatherford in southern Parker County. The community sits in a horseshoe-shaped bend along the Brazos River.
