Discover Owl Creek: A Hidden Gem in Bell County, Texas


By: Laurie E. Jasinski

Published: December 9, 2005

Owl Creek is a tiny community located off State Highway 36 about fourteen miles northwest of Temple in northern Bell County. It is named for a nearby creek. Settlement in the area began as early as the 1850s. By the 1890s Owl Creek had its own school district that served the children of farming families. The school probably operated sometime into the early 1900s. After the construction of Lake Belton in the 1950s Owl Creek Park opened on the upper north shore of the reservoir and provided picnicking, camping, and other recreational facilities. Owl Creek remained sparsely populated; no population figures were available until 1990, when the census recorded forty-five residents. That number remained the same in 2000.

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Places:

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

Laurie E. Jasinski, “Owl Creek, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/owl-creek-tx.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

TID: HNO29

December 9, 2005

Find out more about this place from our Texas Almanac.

Place
Owl Creek
Currently Exists
Yes
Place Type
Town
USGS ID
1380318
Town Fields
  • Has post office: No
  • Is Incorporated: No
Belongs to
  • Bell County
Coordinates
  • Latitude: 31.22739560°
  • Longitude: -97.51168030°
Population Counts
People Year
130 2009

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