Rocksprings was designated the seat of Edwards County (formed from Bexar County in 1858) in 1891. Although natural springs provided a plentiful source of water, farming the rocky soil was difficult, and instead settlers raised sheep and angora goats. In 1940, the year of peak production, Rocksprings billed itself as “Top-o-the-World” in producing mohair. The two-story commercial structure at 101 N. Sweeten Street now houses the Rocksprings Visitor’s Center and the Devil’s Sinkhole Society, where visitors can arrange tours of the Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area, a vertical cave eleven miles northeast of downtown that is home to millions of Mexican freetail bats. The sinkhole was discovered in the 1870s and became state property in the 1970s.
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