The seat of Somervell County, Glen Rose is located just southwest of Fort Worth on US 67 and Hwy 144 near the Squaw Creek Reservoir. It all began with the establishment of a trading post in 1849.
During the 1980s it was the largest employer in the county and the source of most of the county's tax revenue. At that time Glen Rose's other chief industries included farming, ranching, and tourism. Tourists who visited Glen Rose no longer came for its sulfur springs but to see the dinosaur tracks in Dinosaur Valley State Park, northwest of the town on Park Road 59.
In 1991 it reported 1,802 residents and 111 businesses.
