Adopted Budget FY 2012-2013 - Kerr County

Historical Kerr County Influences:
Sid Peterson
Sid Peterson was born in Lavaca County in 1868, and moved with his family to
Kerr County in 1882. Only 14 during the move, he knew that he wanted to be a
rancher. He broke horses for the Schreiner Ranch, drove cattle on the
Chisholm Trail and cleared land for the railroad. Peterson became a pioneer
rancher in the Hill Country by acquiring thousands of acres of ranch land.
Peterson had three sons, Joe Sid, Hal and Charlie. They also worked on ranches and then
became involved in a variety of different businesses such as real estate, ranching, and a bus
company, later to be known as the Kerrville Bus Company.
In 1939, Sid Peterson died of heart complications in San Antonio, Texas. From that point on
his sons supported the construction of a hospital in honor of their father, which opened in
1949.
When the hospital opened its doors it fulfilled the dream for two of Peterson’s sons to preserve
the legacy of their father while also serving the Hill Country community.
Captain Joseph Tivy
Joseph Tivy was born in Canada, grew up in New York, and in 1837 came to Texas as a
surveyor. Tivy made the first field notes for the state land office on many tracts of land along
the Guadalupe. His job as a surveyor kept him in constant danger. Tivy could handle these
dangers with the training he had received as a Texas Ranger.
In 1883, Tivy served as trustee of the Kerrville School Association. It was at this time that Tivy
realized that Kerrville needed a permanent public school and donated 100 acres of land to the
cause.
Tivy was named the first Mayor of Kerrville when the city was incorporated in 1889.
Construction of the new school began in the fall of 1890 and the first class was held in March
of 1891. Captain Tivy died in 1892 and was buried beside his wife on top of Tivy Mountain.
His life made a permanent impression on Kerrville: a street, high school and mountain all bear
his name today.
FY 2012 - 2013 Budget
Page 41