Robert F. Mitchell

Alto began in Robert F. Mitchell's lawsuit. According to the Handbook of Texas, he got the land in a suit with John Durst, on ground that had been part of a large grant to the Nacogdoches merchants William Barr and Samuel Davenport. A post office opened in 1850 as Branchtown, and Mitchell started his store in 1851. In 1852 the town was renamed Alto, reportedly at Captain Henry Berryman's suggestion, for its place at the highest point between the Angelina and Neches rivers. The Old San Antonio Road ran through it, and travelers made it a stopping point.

What the plaque says

Robert F. Mitchell (Nov. 13, 1801 -- Apr. 10, 1878) Ohio native Robert F. Mitchell came to Nacogdoches County, Texas in 1837. Briefly associated with John Durst in a mercantile firm, Mitchell moved to Cherokee County in 1849 and, soon after, his land on the upland divide between the Neches and Angelina Rivers was used for the townsite of Alto (Latin for high). He later ran a store and gin in Alto and a hotel north of the Old San Antonio Road and served as a leader in the development of the town and area. (1986)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Caddo Mounds State Historic Site — 5.8 mi
  Three earthen mounds of an ancestral Caddo village and ceremonial center on the old El Camino Real, settled about A.D. 800 and still sacred to Caddo people, with a grass house and visitor center.

More markers nearby

• A. Frank Smith United Methodist Church — 0.3 mi
• Camp Alto, World War II Prisoner of War Camp — 1.1 mi
• Site of the Delaware Indian Village — 1.4 mi
• Site of Lacy's Fort — 1.7 mi