Red River Station

Red River Station was settled in 1860, after earlier attempts failed in the face of raids. By the mid-1870s 250 to 300 people lived there, and a ferry crossed the river. Its post office opened in 1873 under the name Salt Creek and took the name Red River Station in 1884. In the 1880s a tornado destroyed much of the town. The Katy bypassed it for Nocona in 1887, the year its post office closed, and the rail town of Belcherville and the Western Trail drew trade away. By the late 1880s the community was gone.

What the plaque says

Established 9 miles northwest 1861 as Civil War outpost near major buffalo and indian crossing. Local soldiers, determined to guard edge of settlement against Indian raids, Union invasion from Indian territory, joined by Texas Frontier Regiment Cavalry Company. Families of settlers, cattlemen built log cabins within post stockade. Poorly fed, clothed and short on horses and ammunition Confederates patrolled area effectively. Comanche, Kiowa raid at Illinois Bend 15 miles east Jan. 1863. Major cattle crossing after war. A memorial to Texans who served in the Confederacy - Erected by the State of Texas 1963; (BACK OF RED RIVER STATION) Texas Civil War Frontier Defense 1861-1865 Texas made an all-out effort for the Confederacy after voting over 3 to 1 for secession. 90,000 troops, noted for mobility and and heroic daring, fought on every battlefront. An important source of supply and gateway to foreign trade thru Mexico, Texas was the storehouse of the south. Red River Station and other posts on this line were backed by patrols of state Rangers, organized militia, and citizens posses scouting from nearby "family forts." This was part of a 2000 mile frontier and coastline successfully defended by Texans. (1963)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Stonewall Saloon Museum — 12 mi
  Saint Jo's first permanent building, a stone saloon of 1873 with rooms upstairs for trail drovers, in a town named, the story goes, as a joke on a founder who did not drink.

More markers nearby

• Farmers and Merchants National Bank — 1.2 mi
• First Baptist Church of Nocona — 1.2 mi
• Montague Cemetery — 8.1 mi
• Red River Station — 8.3 mi