The area of Smith County where Lindale sits was inhabited long before the city was founded in 1871. In the early 1800s, the Caddo Indians were the area's prime inhabitants; their artifacts can still be found along streams in the area. The area also was home to Cherokee Indians, who were forced out when the Republic of Texas was founded in 1836. After the American Civil WarCivil War, Richard B. Hubbard, a former officer in the Confederate Army and owner of a large plantation on what is today a retirement community called Hide-A-Way Lake, began searching for a more convenient way to ship the produce he grew on his land. Hubbard convinced railroad officials to lay track between nearby Tyler, TexasTyler and Mineola, TexasMineola. Hubbard's brother-in-law, Elijah Lindsey, anticipating growth around the new railroad, opened the fledgling community's first general store in 1871, and Lindale had its start; Lindsey was elected the town's first mayor a year later. Several stories abound locally about how Lindale got its name, but the most common is that Lindsey's name was combined with the suffix "dale" to form "Lindseydale." The name was shortened to Lindale in 1874 when the first U.S. Postal ServicePost Office opened in town. A year later, the International-Great Northern Railroad extended its line through Lindale, and the city's fledgling canning and fruit packing industries took off. By the late 1880s, some 300 people lived in town, which was gaining notoriety for its fruit and berry canning industry. By 1900, the town had its own newspaper, two cotton gins, several shops, churches, a telephone exchange, a doctor and lawyer, as well as the ubiquitous canning factory. In 1905, the city was incorporated; it spanned about a square mile in total. Produce continued to be the city's main source of income, and by 1950 the city had gained the reputation for being the "blackberry capital of the world," with tons of berries being cannied and shipped each year. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindale%2C_Texas