In 1840, blacksmith Pleasant Thorp (1809-1890) immigrated to Texas after traveling through this area on the Morehouse Expedition and planned to settle here. Among his holdings of nearly 18,000 acres, he encountered sulphur springs and set aside land for the town of Thorp Spring. With Sam Milliken, he established Thorp College in 1871, and that early school gave way in 1873 to Add-Ran College, which moved to Waco in 1896 and Fort Worth in 1910, becoming Texas Christian University (TCU). In 1888, Thorp deeded to Hood County the part of his land containing the spring to create a public park, leaving a lasting pioneer legacy.