DALE, TEXAS. Dale is on Farm Road 1854 some seven miles northeast of Lockhart in Caldwell County. It was named for the valley in which it is located. A post office was established there in 1880 when the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line built through the town, and in 1885 Dale had seventy-five residents, three general stores, and a steam gristmill and cotton gin. The community shipped cotton. By 1905 the local school had 112 pupils and two teachers. Dale grew to 250 residents and fifteen businesses by 1914. Its population declined to 200 between 1925 and 1943. In 1936 the county highway map showed numerous residences at the townsite, as well as two schools, two churches, and several businesses, including a seasonal industry. In 1947 the community's population reached 275, but was recorded at 126 from 1970 until the early 1990s, when fourteen businesses were reported there. In 2000 the population was 500.

Scott E. Wagner