Frio Town, Texas
Encyclopedia
Frio Town, known as Frio City before 1886, is a ghost town
immediately south of the Presido Crossing on the Frio River
in Frio County, Texas
, United States
.
, the town was laid out by A.L. Oden in 1871. The river crossing it lay near was named for the fact that numerous cannonballs, swords and sabers were found there. Juan De Ugalde
in the 18th century, Antonio López de Santa Anna
in 1836 and Adrián Woll
in 1842 were all thought to have used the Presido Crossing.
The first mail to the town was delivered by horseback from Benton City, later it arrived by stagecoach from San Antonio. In 1871 Frio City became the first county seat in Frio County history. Carting cypress shingles from Leakey
, L.J.W. Edwards completed the first Frio County courthouse in January 1872. The same year the town's stone jail was built. The jail eventually housed such famed outlaws as Sam Bass
, Jesse James
, Frank James
and writer William Sydney Porter. With the rise in construction high cost building material from out of town became impractical and led to the establishment of a cypress shingle mill, brick factory and lime kiln in Frio City.
In 1872 the town started delivering its own mail with the establishment of a post office in Frio City with James McClain Elledge at its helm. The town's first merchant was in the person of Levi J.W. Edwards and the first school in Frio County was a private home in Frio City. During the 1870s a local chapter of the Freemasons was established. In 1877 the courthouse burned down and was replaced by a two story native stone building, funded in part by wealthy local resident W.J. Slaughter. The new courthouse reportedly once had an ornate walnut staircase. In the mid-1870s Indian attacks in and around Frio City caused the Texas Rangers to be called in and many frontier residents sought shelter in town. The last major Indian attack in the area occurred in the spring of 1877.
s John Wesley DeVilbiss and Andrew Jackson Potter preached in the area and the Rio Grande Baptist Association was organized in Frio City in 1880. That same year the International-Great Northern Railroad
extended through Frio County though it by-passed Frio City itself.
By 1890 the population had fallen to 100 and in 1906 17 pupils attended the two teacher Frio Academy. The town slowly dwindled into obscurity even with the addition of telephone connections in 1914. During that year Frio Town housed a general store and six cattle breeders. In 1929 the town contained a school and five homes. In June 1930 the Rio Grande Baptist Association celebrated their 50th anniversary at the site of the old courthouse.
By 1953 the townsite was mostly abandoned and a Mrs. A.C. Roberts owned most of the structures including the courthouse and roofless jail. The town's population remained steady at 20 throughout the 1960s and even jumped to 49 in 1969. By 1990, all that remained of the once bustling Frio City was the Frio Town Cemetery and the largely intact ruins of the original courthouse and jail on the private Roberts Ranch. The ruins of the courthouse are considered a historic courthouse by the Texas Historical Commission.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
immediately south of the Presido Crossing on the Frio River
Frio River
The Frio River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. The word frio is Spanish for cold, a clear reference to the spring-fed coolness of the river.-Geography:The Frio River has three primary feeds; the East, West, and Dry Frio rivers...
in Frio County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Located sixteen miles northwest of PearsallPearsall, Texas
Pearsall is a city in and the county seat of Frio County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,001 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pearsall is located at ....
, the town was laid out by A.L. Oden in 1871. The river crossing it lay near was named for the fact that numerous cannonballs, swords and sabers were found there. Juan De Ugalde
Juan de Ugalde
Juan de Ugalde later also known as Juan de Uvalde was born in Cádiz, Spain. He joined the Spanish army in 1738. In 1787 he was promoted to commanding general of Texas, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Nuevo Santander. In 1790 he successfully led Spanish soldiers against Apache forces at Arroyo de la...
in the 18th century, Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
in 1836 and Adrián Woll
Adrián Woll
Adrián Woll was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary who served as a general in the army of Mexico during the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
in 1842 were all thought to have used the Presido Crossing.
The first mail to the town was delivered by horseback from Benton City, later it arrived by stagecoach from San Antonio. In 1871 Frio City became the first county seat in Frio County history. Carting cypress shingles from Leakey
Leakey, Texas
Leakey is a city in and the county seat of Real County, Texas, United States. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. A U.S. Census Bureau estimate of July 1, 2008, placed the population at 359....
, L.J.W. Edwards completed the first Frio County courthouse in January 1872. The same year the town's stone jail was built. The jail eventually housed such famed outlaws as Sam Bass
Sam Bass
Sam Bass was a nineteenth-century American train robber and outlaw.-Early life:Bass was orphaned at the age of 10. For the next five years, he and his siblings lived with an abusive uncle. In 1869, he set out on his own and spent the next year in Mississippi...
, Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
, Frank James
Frank James
Alexander Franklin "Frank" James was a famous American outlaw. He was the older brother of outlaw Jesse James.-Childhood:...
and writer William Sydney Porter. With the rise in construction high cost building material from out of town became impractical and led to the establishment of a cypress shingle mill, brick factory and lime kiln in Frio City.
In 1872 the town started delivering its own mail with the establishment of a post office in Frio City with James McClain Elledge at its helm. The town's first merchant was in the person of Levi J.W. Edwards and the first school in Frio County was a private home in Frio City. During the 1870s a local chapter of the Freemasons was established. In 1877 the courthouse burned down and was replaced by a two story native stone building, funded in part by wealthy local resident W.J. Slaughter. The new courthouse reportedly once had an ornate walnut staircase. In the mid-1870s Indian attacks in and around Frio City caused the Texas Rangers to be called in and many frontier residents sought shelter in town. The last major Indian attack in the area occurred in the spring of 1877.
Growth
Frio City became known as a "cowboy capital" and cultural center during the 1870s. By the 1880s estimates of its population hovered around 1,500. Well known evangelistEvangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
s John Wesley DeVilbiss and Andrew Jackson Potter preached in the area and the Rio Grande Baptist Association was organized in Frio City in 1880. That same year the International-Great Northern Railroad
International-Great Northern Railroad
The International – Great Northern Railroad was a railroad that operated in the U.S. state of Texas. It was created on September 30, 1873, when International Railroad and Houston and Great Northern Railroad merged....
extended through Frio County though it by-passed Frio City itself.
Decline
With the establishment of the town of Pearsall along the rail route people began to leave Frio City. By 1883 Pearsall had become the county seat and in 1886 Frio City changed its name to Frio Town. W. Yancey Kilgore purchased the Frio Town courthouse in 1884, it later housed a general store, the post office and in 1884 the Frio Academy.By 1890 the population had fallen to 100 and in 1906 17 pupils attended the two teacher Frio Academy. The town slowly dwindled into obscurity even with the addition of telephone connections in 1914. During that year Frio Town housed a general store and six cattle breeders. In 1929 the town contained a school and five homes. In June 1930 the Rio Grande Baptist Association celebrated their 50th anniversary at the site of the old courthouse.
By 1953 the townsite was mostly abandoned and a Mrs. A.C. Roberts owned most of the structures including the courthouse and roofless jail. The town's population remained steady at 20 throughout the 1960s and even jumped to 49 in 1969. By 1990, all that remained of the once bustling Frio City was the Frio Town Cemetery and the largely intact ruins of the original courthouse and jail on the private Roberts Ranch. The ruins of the courthouse are considered a historic courthouse by the Texas Historical Commission.