Standpipe Mountain

Others searched for minerals too. An oil well drilled in Young County in 1887 came up dry, and in 1891 a group of investors formed the Graham Mining Company in hopes of finding gold, silver and coal. Several promising coal seams turned up, but without adequate transportation the project lapsed. Water was the town's lasting concern. In the 1920s Lake Eddleman was built in the hills north of town for water and recreation, Lake Graham was dammed in 1958 and joined to it around 1959, and in 1986 a new water plant opened on Lake Graham.

What the plaque says

Rising 1160 feet above sea level as part of the Belknap Range, Standpipe Mountain is the western peak of the twin mountains, which dominate the surrounding landscape. It was included in the land purchased in 1872 by E. S. and G. A. Graham, for whom the town was named. The brothers moved to this area from Kentucky to begin development of land and mineral resources in the area. The town of Graham developed rapidly and was soon the site of a gristmill, sawmill, brick factory, Federal court, and the county courthouse. During the early 1890s the mountain was explored by E. S. Graham to determine if silver or other minerals might exist in commercial quantities. It became known as Standpipe Mountain in 1907 when a city water storage tank was first constructed on the crest. Designated Victory Park, the mountain was donated to the city by the estate of E. S. Graham following World War I. Later developed by the Rotary Club, it has played a significant role in the community. Since the 1870s Standpipe Mountain has served as a landmark, a center of commercial activity, and as a favorite spot for numerous candlelight ceremonies, picnics, and outings. (1981)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Old Post Office Museum and Art Center — 0.2 mi
  Graham's 1936 Art Moderne post office, with a New Deal mural by Alexandre Hogue inside, now the free museum of Young County in the town where the Texas cattle raisers first organized.
• Fort Belknap — 9.4 mi
  The 1851 northern anchor of the first Texas frontier forts, on the Brazos below Newcastle, a Butterfield stop and the post beside the Brazos Reservation until its people were driven out in 1859.
• Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site — 27 mi
  The northernmost post of the Texas frontier line, outside Jacksboro, where a stone hospital and six other buildings stand from 1867 and a later Guard unit became the Lost Battalion.

More markers nearby

• Site of Third County Courthouse — steps away
• First National Bank in Graham — steps away
• An 1890 Bank Building — 0.2 mi
• Cattle Raisers Association Oak — 0.3 mi