NEILS CREEK. Neils Creek rises in southwestern Bosque County four miles southeast of Cranfills Gap where the North and Middle forks of Neils Creek converge (at 31°43' N, 97°47' W) and runs east for 24½ miles to its mouth on the North Bosque River, four miles northwest of Valley Mills (at 31°42' N, 97°32' W). In addition to the two converging forks, a third tributary, the South Fork of Neils Creek, joins the main stream a mile east of its origin. George B. Erath named the watercourse for either Neil McLennan or Claiborne Neil, both of whom apparently participated in an 1837 expedition that Erath led across the Bosque region. Neils Creek became a focus of county population growth between 1854 and 1856 with the arrival of Norwegian and Anglo settlers who obtained land along the waterway and in the stream valley. At that time tall cedars lined the creekbed and herds of deer and antelope fed on the valley's high grass.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bosquerama, 1854-1954: Centennial Celebration of Bosque County, Texas (Meridian, Texas: Bosque County Centennial Association, 1954). William C. Pool, Bosque Territory (Kyle, Texas: Chaparral, 1964).