PIPE CREEK. Pipe Creek rises eight miles west of Boerne in southwestern Kendall County (at 29°48' N, 98°52' W) and runs south for nine miles, through Kendall and Bandera counties, to its mouth on Red Bluff Creek, two miles south of the town of Pipe Creek (at 29°42' N, 98°56' W). Pipe Creek originates in an area of the Edwards Plateau characterized by steep slopes and limestone benches covered by shallow clay loam soils. Near the town of Pipe Creek the terrain becomes flatter and locally dissected, and the soil becomes stony. The uppermost portion of Pipe Creek runs through forests of live oak and Ashe juniper and then open stands of live oak, Ashe juniper, and mesquite with clearings of mixed grasses, persimmon, and prickly pear. Stories concerning Pipe Creek's name vary considerably. According to the most popular, an Anglo settler pursued by Indians dropped his pipe beside this creek, stopped to retrieve it, and still made good his escape.