Bookmark and Share


RABBS CREEK. Rabbs Creek rises in southern Lee County (at 30°11' N, 97°03' W) west-southwest of Giddings and runs south for about 24½ miles, passing into Fayette County before reaching its mouth (at 29°58' N, 96°55' W) on the Colorado River, northwest of La Grange. The creek is a major tributary of the Colorado and has at least ten named tributaries of its own. It passes through terrain surfaced by shallow, highly erodible topsoils of sand and sandy loam, with subsoils of heavy clay and clay mixed with gravel. Land along the stream is marginal for most agricultural purposes, and though it has produced good crops of corn, it is now used primarily for grazing and hay production. The flat lands along Rabbs Creek are prone to flooding, and there are many natural wide spots used for stock watering. Expanded oil extraction in the vicinity during the 1980s increased the potential for pollution from that source. Rabbs Creek was named for William Rabb, who settled in the area with his extended family sometime before Texas independence. As a part of his commitment to Stephen F. Austin's colony, he constructed on the creek the first gristmill in what is now Fayette County. The grinding stones were shipped from Scotland, and the mill works came from New Orleans.


