Texas Golf Courses

Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas. The population was 14,921 at the 2000 census. Founded in 1856, it is home to Tarleton State University. Stephenville goes by the slogan "Cowboy Capital of the World". Stephenville is named after John M. Stephen, who settled there in 1854 and donated the land for the townsite laid out by George B. Erath when the county was organized in 1856. Stephenville was incorporated in 1889 when the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway arrived. In the 1890s, many of the buildings around the town square were built, Tarleton State University opened, and the communities two newspapers merged to become the Empire-Tribune, which is still in existence. In the 20th century industry became an important part of Stephenville, and the population has steadily increased since the 1920s. On January 8, 2008, Stephenville gained national media attention when dozens and later hundreds of residents reported observations of unidentified flying objects. CNN's Larry King covered the story in the days following the incident.