Runge, Texas, developed at a spring and creek crossing on the old ox-cart road from San Antonio to Indianola, where pioneer travelers found water, wood, and grass, and where numerous Indian artifacts indicate that Karankawas, Tonkawas, Apaches, and Comanches camped or hunted nearby. It was the first Anglo-American settlement here and was called Sulphur Spring in the early 1850's and Mineral Spring in the late 1850's and 1860's. In 1886, H. Runge and Company, a group of Cuero merchants, bought a large tract of land and platted the townsite of Runge. The San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad, known as the "SAP," extended its line from Kenedy toward Houston and built a depot, a switch, and stockpens at Runge. The first post office was established here on September 20, 1887. By 1890, Runge had grown to be the largest town in Karnes County. Public schools were organized in 1891, and citizens took part in typical pioneer social and civic activities, including weekly band concerts in the town square. The region's economy has been sustained by farming, ranching, dairying, and petroleum production.