Battle Creek received its name in 1840 after a small band of men searching this area for hostile Indians was attacked by a raiding party and a fight took place near the creek. About twenty years later, cattleman John Hittson (1831-1880) established his ranch headquarters at the battleground site. Used only when cattle were rounded up from surrounding lands, the headquarters included corrals, branding pens, and a small shelter. It is believed to have been the first ranching headquarters established in Callahan County.