Coming into Coyote Flats

Getting from one place to another in rural Texas may mean that you see

Coyote Flats City Limit

lots of plains, or trees, or deserts, or shorelines, or mountains (Texas has every ecosystem except Arctic tundra and rainforests). You also may see little towns that may not be apparent on a normal scale road map – it’s amazing what Google Maps will show you when you zoom in. When we run across one of these small hamlets, with no obvious historical trail nor railroad siding, we wonder just how it came about. Coyote Flats is one such example.




Coyote Flats, with a population of 312 people (in 2012) sits at a wide place in the road in Johnson County.  It is fairly close to the growing cities of Keene and to Cleburne (see Along the Chisolm Trail), and thereby lies

Pasture, trees and cattle

the genesis of the town. In 2009 Keene was experiencing growing pains and wanted to annex several parcels of land. However, the residents on these pieces of property weren’t all too excited about this and decided to fight. They brought their case before Judge John Neill of the 18^th District Court citing evidence that the land lusted after by the City of Keene was outside its extraterritorial jurisdiction. And although this did block annexation at this time, it didn’t mean that the city couldn’t come after the land at a later date. On May 8, 2010 an election to incorporate the City of Coyote Flats was held and it passed; John Barnett became the first Mayor on August 11^th of that year. This is a pretty part of the Texas prairie with pastures for horses and cattle, along with some nice ponds for fishing, and a few shade trees.

Fishing pond

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