De Kalb or DeKalb is a city in Bowie County and a part of the Texarkana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town’s settlement started around 1835 when, based on one legend, Alamo defender David Crockett visited the area. The legend claims that when Crockett asked for the town’s name, the residents said that it had none, asking him to name it instead. Crockett proposed the name of the Prussian Baron de Kalb, who was an American revolutionary army general. Even though De Kalb was the first seat of Bowie County in 1841, the town grew sluggishly; a lack of efficient and reliable transportation was one significant reason. However, when the Texas and Pacific Railway was built through the county in 1876, De Kalb became a rail station and started to prosper. The city remained to rely on its agricultural economy. In 1985, a private aircraft owned by Ricky Nelson, a famous American rockstar, crashed in a wooded area near the city. All seven passengers, including Nelson, were killed in the accident; the pilot and co-pilot were able to escape and survived.
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