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Graham, Texas

Everything Graham is known for

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Music in Graham

Songs About Graham

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Artists From Graham

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Gabe Choate
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Rivers & Roads in Song near Graham

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Graham.

Brazos River 43 songs Texas State Highway 199 8 songs Interstate 20 13 songs

History of Graham

The Marlow Brothers' Escape RoadyGoat

Right here in downtown Graham, one of the most incredible tales of the Old West unfolded. In 1888, five brothers—the Marlows—were living in the area when they were accused of horse theft. The charges were likely false, part of a feud with local lawmen. After one brother, Boone, shot the county sheriff and fled, the four remaining Marlows were arrested and shackled together in pairs in the old jail that once stood near this square. Fearing a lynch mob, the authorities decided to move them to Weatherford. On a cold January night in 1889, as they were being transported, the mob attacked them at Dry Creek. In the chaos, the shackled brothers, armed with a gun seized from a guard, fought back in a legendary battle. Two of the brothers, Alfred and Epp, were killed, but the other two, George and Charley, miraculously escaped. Wounded, they cut themselves free from their dead brothers with a knife taken off a fallen guard and got out alive. Their story of survival and grit became a national sensation, a testament to frontier justice and injustice.

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Graham, TX RoadyGoat

On February 15, 1877, Graham was the site of the organizational meeting of the group that became the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, created to police ranching and put a stop to cattle rustling. Founding officers included pioneer ranchers James C. Loving, Col. C. L. (Kit) Carter, and C.C. Slaughter.

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Fort Belknap, The Town Before the Town RoadyGoat

To understand why Graham is here, you first have to know about a place just 12 miles northwest: Fort Belknap. Established in 1851 on the banks of the Brazos River, it was one of the most important military posts on the Texas frontier. For over a decade, it was the center of everything in this region—protecting settlers from Comanche raids, serving as a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route, and anchoring the southern end of the Texas-California trail. The fort was a bustling community in the middle of the wilderness. After the Civil War, the army abandoned the post, and the area fell into disarray. Graham was founded a few years later specifically to fill the void left by the fort. Today, you can visit the restored Fort Belknap, walk the parade grounds, and see the original buildings that formed the seed from which Graham and all of Young County grew.

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Young County Jail

1878

(1878-1921) This jail was built with two stories in 1878. The jailer lived downstairs, and above were two cells--one with a steel cage for maximum security. There were many dramatic jailbreaks, with lives lost on both sides of the law. In 1881, killer Jack Post, the only man legally hanged in this county, rode from the jail astride his coffin. The five Marlow brothers broke out in 1888, causing a major shootout and manhunt. The property was phased out as a jail in 1921, and saw many changes in use and appearance before being bought by Kelley B. King in 1975.

Historical Marker →

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

1877

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the oldest and largest organization of its kind in the United States, was launched at Graham, Texas, on February 15, 1877, under the name Stock-Raisers' Association of North-West Texas. Cattlemen in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and the Indian Territory were invited to join. The call for the initial meeting was made in the fall of 1876 by a few leading cattlemen, among whom were James C. Loving and C. C. Slaughter . The immediate objective was to systematize the "spring work" and to curb cattle rustling . Col. C. L. (Kit) Carter was made chairman of the organizational meeting, which was held at the courthouse in Graham (rather than under an oak tree, as subsequent legend had it). Among the ranchers present were John Nicholas Simpson, Samuel Burk Burnett , and Joseph Graham. Carter was elected president of the association, a position he held until 1888 except for one year, when poor health intervened. Loving was elected secretary and was reelected each year until 1902. Such strong measures against cattle thieves were proposed at the original meeting that some present did not take membership for fear of retaliation by the lawless element. The association was incorporated in 1882. That year the system of assessment "per head" of cattle was adopted; it is still in force. In 1883 the inspection system was inaugurated. Inspectors were eventually located along the trails, at shipping points, and at terminal markets. This practice resulted in recovering many cattle that by accident or design got into herds in which they did not belong. The protection offered by this system drew small and large operators into the association fold, including Robert Justus Kleberg of the King Ranch and the Kokernots of West Texas. Other measures for discouraging theft included granting rewards to those who identified persons who had stolen cattle or horses from association members (payable after conviction). In addition, from 1893 to the mid-twentieth century the association employed a staff attorney to assist with the prosecution of those charged with theft, as well as with other matters. The secretary's office remained at Loving's ranch until 1884, when it was moved to Jacksboro. In 1883 the association listed 730,000 cattle, and by 1895 its members reported 1,385,303 head. By 1893 the distribution of its membership had spread to such an extent that the name was changed to Cattle Raisers Association of Texas. The present name was adopted in 1921, when the organization merged with the only other cattlemen's group remaining in Texas, the Panhandle and Southwestern Stockman's Association, which had been founded in 1880. In 1945 membership stood at 6,000 and represented 3,500,000 cattle. Rains in the spring of 1957 brought an end to one of the Southwest's most severe and widespread droughts and resulted in a resurgence of membership, which reached a new high of 13,000. In the late 1950s the association's officers went to Florida to observe the results of screwworm eradication in the Southeast and to help set in motion a series of events that resulted in screwworm eradication in the Southwest. The program, financed in the beginning largely from voluntary contributions by the stock industry, was perhaps of more benefit to livestock producers than any other program in the twentieth century. Working through and with the Southwest Animal Health Research Foundation and government agencies, the association played a major role in the program, which brought about an end to the pest through release of millions of radioactive-sterilized screwworm flies. In 1961 the association recognized the growing importance of cattle feeding in the Southwest by establishing the cattle feeders division, and that same year the association established award programs for Four-H members and Future Farmers of America who had made distinguished records in livestock production and management. In little more than a decade the Southwest had bec

Tsha Handbook →

Third County Courthouse, Site of

1856

Young County was organized in 1856 with Belknap designated as county seat. After retreat of frontier troops during Civil War, county records were moved to Jacksboro 1865 during renewed Indian trouble. County was reorganized 1874 with Graham, county seat. Courthouse (of which only archway remains) was built 1884. Native sandstone for the two-story structure was quarried east of Graham by Irish workers. N. J. Rosenquist, a native of Sweden and builder of Texas courthouses, was chief stonemason. Building had two halls in form of Greek cross--a plan that followed points of the compass. (Archway belonged to east hall.) Officials at the time of construction were: County Judge, R. F.Arnold; Treasurer, J. W. Wadley; County Clerk, C. O. Joline; Tax Assessor, J. G. Hill; County Attorney, J. A. Woolfolk; Sheriff, W. T. Bunger; County Commissioners, W. C. Blakey, J. J. Hughes, J. . Mercer and H. D. Williams. Courthouse was razed in 1932 after completion of present structure. A. A. Morrison, fire marshal, led efforts to preserve historic archway during street improvements in 1936. During its existence, this Courthouse witnessed and preserved the records of many historic events of Young County.

Historical Marker →

Ryus Store Building

1879

Druggist Joseph E. Ryus (1848-1909) built this structure of locally made bricks in 1879 after his frame store on this lot burned. The large room above Ryus's drugstore served as Judge Andrew P. McCormick's first courtroom in 1879 when Graham was named site of a federal district court, which later moved to Abilene. Since purchasing the building in 1892, Knights of Pythias Corinthian Lodge No. 143 has used the upper floor as a meeting hall. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1974

Historical Marker →

Graham, Edwin Smith

1872

Edwin Smith Graham, a pioneer and founder of Graham, the son of Gen. Robert and Roxana (Winchell) Graham, was born on February 15, 1831, in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his younger brother, Gustavus Adolphus, received their early schooling in Rockhaven and became involved with their father's cotton business and the development of the Glasco oilfield in Kentucky. Edwin married Addie Mary Kintner in 1865. They had five children. After the Civil War the Graham brothers became affiliated with the Texas Emigration and Land Company of Louisville. During a prospecting trip to Texas they bought from the Peters colony 125,000 acres of land in Young County at seventeen cents an acre. They also purchased Capt. A. B. Gant's salt works on Salt Creek for $5,000 and invested another $2,000 in new equipment. In 1872 they established the town of Graham and set up the Graham Land Office. Subsequently they became active in the reorganization of Young County and the designation of the town named for them as its seat. Although the salt plant produced and bagged some 2,500 pounds of salt daily, the cost of exporting it proved more expensive than the product itself; after a few years the plant was closed, and the Graham brothers devoted their efforts to real estate and civic improvements. Throughout the 1870s they divided their time between Texas and their families back north, but in 1879, with the town flourishing, they moved their wives and children to Graham permanently. Edwin and Addie lived there until 1891, then moved to Spokane, Washington, where Graham died on May 7, 1899. His body was brought back to Graham for burial. Addie moved back to Graham and became a leading civic booster and philanthropist. In 1921, with her son Malcolm, she set up the Graham Foundation as a continuing fund for the city's growth and improvement; before she died in 1930 she was responsible for the establishment of the Eden Home for the aged.

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Lester, William Lewis

1932

William Lewis Lester, painter and art teacher, son of John Lewis and Mildred Matilda (Padgett) Lester, was born in Graham, Texas, on August 20, 1910. He had nine sisters. He moved to Dallas with his family in 1924 and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School there in 1929. He then studied at the Dallas Art Institute with Thomas M. Stell, Jr. , and Olin H. Travis , while associating with other young artists, including Alexandre Hogue , Jerry Bywaters , Otis M. Dozier , Everett Spruce, and Perry Nichols , among others. ( see DALLAS NINE.) He was an active member of the Dallas Artists League beginning with its formation in 1932. During the Great Depression era, the members formed a nucleus of artists who led in the development of a Texas Regionalist style. At the time, Dallas was one of the strongest and most dynamic centers of the regional art movement in the country. In 1938 many of the Dallas artists, including Lester, formed the Lone Star Printmakers. For the next four years they created and exhibited their lithographic prints. The impetus for this activity for these young, financially poor artists was the chance to explore a new medium and to display their work without incurring the higher costs associated with crating, shipping, and insuring paintings and sculpture. Also in 1938 Lester married Sylvia Louise Bachrach of Dallas; they were married for fifty-three years and had two children. Lester spent two summers in the early 1930s painting at Olin Travis's cabin in rural Arkansas. He served as a staff artist with the Civilian Conservation Corps at Palo Duro Canyon and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1934-35. During the latter part of the 1930s, he earned his livelihood as a draftsman with Texas Power and Light in Dallas while he continued to paint. From 1940 to 1942 he taught at the school of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts (later the Dallas Museum of Art ). Lester joined the faculty of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin in 1942 and taught there until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1972. He served as chairman of the art department from 1952 to 1954. During the summers of 1949 and 1950, he was guest professor at Sul Ross College in Alpine, Texas. William Lester died November 27, 1991, in Austin. The Dallas movement in which Lester played a central role reflected the distinct influence of the local environment. The artists' paintings characteristically projected an intensely subjective approach to the landscapes and other subject matter around them within an American Scene and surrealist aesthetic. Their work revealed an interest in ideas and in distinct forms rather than in illustration. They rejected imitations of established artistic styles, such as impressionistic treatments of nature, and renditions of conventional local subjects, such as bluebonnet fields. For a time, Lester's subject matter remained allied with the American Scene movement, but his treatment became looser and more abstract. His paintings of natural scenes, buildings, and people became very personalized and gestural. Color became more vibrant and central to his work, as did his emphasis on strong composition. His admiration of certain Mexican artworks, particularly the striking combinations of brilliant color by Rufino Tamayo, influenced his own use of color from the mid-1950s onward. By the mid-1960s many of his paintings tended toward complete abstraction. Lester exhibited widely and achieved considerable recognition during his career. He first gained national attention as one of the exhibitors at the Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas in 1936. In that same year, his work was shown at the First National Exhibition of American Art at the Rockefeller Center in New York. His paintings were also shown at other expositions and museums around the country, including the Pan American Exposition in Dallas (1937), the Golden Gate Exposition, and the New York World's Fair Exhibition (1939). It was also shown at the Philadelphia Acad

Tsha Handbook →

Things to Do in Graham

historical 19.8 mi away
The Legend of Hells Gate

Before Possum Kingdom Lake existed a sheer cliff towered over the Brazos River in Palo Pinto County. Legend says a fur trader stole pelts from local Comanches…
quirky 15.3 mi away
The Song That Made a Lake Famous

In 1994 Dallas band the Toadies released Possum Kingdom a dark brooding single off their debut album Rubberneck. Singer Vaden Todd Lewis spun a ghoulish tale…
quirky 15.9 mi away
The Drowned Town of Pickwick

When the Morris Sheppard Dam was completed in the 1930s the rising waters of Possum Kingdom Lake slowly swallowed the tiny settlement of Pickwick. Houses…
nature 16.4 mi away
Hell's Gate at Possum Kingdom

Hell's Gate is the narrow pass on Possum Kingdom Lake where the Brazos River cuts between two soaring sandstone cliffs. The cliffs are remnants of the Palo…
historical 20.0 mi away
The Fire That Ate 126000 Acres

In April 2011 the Possum Kingdom Complex Fire roared through Palo Pinto County burning 126000 acres and destroying 168 homes over more than a month. Ninety…
day trip
Day Trip to Graham 🐎 (FULL EPISODE) S12 E9

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Everything Near Graham

122 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • First National Bank in Graham · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, and right here on the north side of the town square, you're passing the original site of a bank that helped shape this city's economy. It started in 1890 as the Beckham National Bank,…

  • Young County Jail · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    (1878-1921) This jail was built with two stories in 1878. The jailer lived downstairs, and above were two cells--one with a steel cage for maximum security. There were many dramatic jailbreaks, with lives lost on both…

  • Third County Courthouse, Site of · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    Young County was organized in 1856 with Belknap designated as county seat. After retreat of frontier troops during Civil War, county records were moved to Jacksboro 1865 during renewed Indian trouble. County was…

  • Ryus Store Building · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    Druggist Joseph E. Ryus (1848-1909) built this structure of locally made bricks in 1879 after his frame store on this lot burned. The large room above Ryus's drugstore served as Judge Andrew P. McCormick's first…

  • 1890 Bank Building · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, and you might just pass the site of a grand old bank, built in 1890. Irish quarrymen hauled stone for this Victorian beauty, which stood proudly on Bower's Hill. It wasn't just a bank; the…

  • A. B. Medlan Home · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, Texas, past the site of the A. B. Medlan Home. Medlan settled this farm way back in 1855. He was a Texas Ranger, a church leader, and even served as treasurer and commissioner for Young…

  • Cattle Raisers Association Oak · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, and just off the road, imagine a mighty oak tree. It was under that very tree, on February 15th and 16th, 1877, that forty Texas cattlemen gathered to form the Cattle Raisers Association…

  • 1921 Young County Jail · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the 1921 Young County Jail in Graham. Designed by Dallas architect C.H. Leinbach, this three-story concrete and brick building was built by Henger & Chambers. It housed prisoners awaiting trial until…

  • Morrison Funeral Home · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, and right here is the site of a business that started as a blacksmith shop in 1877. John Edward Morrison arrived in Young County in 1876 and quickly opened a shop on the Town Square. Over…

  • Standpipe Mountain · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Standpipe Mountain, a prominent peak in the Belknap Range, standing 1160 feet tall. It was part of the land purchased back in 1872 by the Graham brothers, who named this town after themselves. They…

  • Graham Post Office · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old Graham Post Office, built back in 1935. This wasn't just any post office; it was the seventh one for Graham, but the first one built to last. It was part of President Roosevelt's New Deal, a…

  • Early Church of Graham · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Graham's first dedicated church building, erected way back in 1885. It started as the First Baptist Church, established just four years earlier in 1880. Imagine this red brick structure,…

Show all 122 nearby places
  • Dr. & Mrs. J.W. Gallaher House · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, and just ahead is the home of Dr. J.W. Gallaher, built in 1906. Dr. Gallaher arrived in Graham in 1884, establishing a successful medical practice and becoming a civic leader. He was even…

  • Brazos River Indian Reservation · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, near Graham, where over 69,000 acres once served as the Brazos River Indian Reservation. Back in 1854, the Texas Legislature set aside this land for Native American tribes, including…

  • Graham Salt Works · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, where a valuable resource once fueled local development: salt. Settlers were drawn here in the 1850s by saline residue along Salt Creek. Martin V. Bowers started commercial production…

  • The Marlow Brothers' Escape · 0.7 mi

    Right here in downtown Graham, one of the most incredible tales of the Old West unfolded. In 1888, five brothers—the Marlows—were living in the area when they were accused of horse theft. The charges were likely false,…

  • Graham, TX · 0.7 mi

    On February 15, 1877, Graham was the site of the organizational meeting of the group that became the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, created to police ranching and put a stop to cattle rustling.…

  • Fort Belknap, The Town Before the Town · 0.7 mi

    To understand why Graham is here, you first have to know about a place just 12 miles northwest: Fort Belknap. Established in 1851 on the banks of the Brazos River, it was one of the most important military posts on the…

  • Engineering a Kingdom: Building the Morris Sheppard Dam · 0.7 mi

    Just south of Graham lies the massive reservoir known as Possum Kingdom Lake, but it’s not a natural feature. It’s a monumental feat of engineering born from the Great Depression. In the 1930s, the Brazos River was…

  • America's Largest Downtown Square · 0.7 mi

    As you navigate the heart of Graham, you're driving around a piece of local pride: the downtown square. Graham claims it as the largest in America — a claim Iola, Kansas will fight you over — but the scale isn't in…

  • Graham, Addie M. · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, a town that owes a lot to one remarkable woman: Addie M. Graham. Born Agnes Kinter in Indiana in 1843, she followed her husband, Edwin, to Texas in the 1870s. Edwin and his brother founded…

  • Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the oldest and largest organization of its kind in the United States, was launched at Graham, Texas, on February 15, 1877, under the name Stock-Raisers' Association…

  • Graham, Edwin Smith · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Edwin Smith Graham, a pioneer and founder of Graham, the son of Gen. Robert and Roxana (Winchell) Graham, was born on February 15, 1831, in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his younger brother, Gustavus Adolphus, received…

  • Lester, William Lewis · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    William Lewis Lester, painter and art teacher, son of John Lewis and Mildred Matilda (Padgett) Lester, was born in Graham, Texas, on August 20, 1910. He had nine sisters. He moved to Dallas with his family in 1924 and…

  • Zale, Morris Bernard · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas, and right here, in Graham, is where a retail revolution began. Morris Zale, an immigrant who fled poverty in Russia, started his first jewelry store in 1922, right in this area. He…

  • Graham, TX · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Graham, Texas, right where two brothers named Graham decided to make their mark after the Civil War. Edwin and Gustavus Graham bought a massive 125,000 acres here in Young County and, seeing…

  • Gant, Absalom Bobo, Jr. · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, and right here in Graham, Absalom Gant was a man of many hats. After serving in the Confederate Army and returning to North Texas, he settled in Graham in the late 1860s. He wasn't…

  • Graham, Malcolm Kintner · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Graham, Texas, a town that owes its very existence to the Graham family. In 1879, young Malcolm Kintner Graham, along with his parents, moved here from Indiana. His father and uncle had laid out…

  • Spiller, George · 0.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, Texas, a landscape once overseen by George Spiller. In 1876, Spiller was elected district surveyor for this vast region, covering sixteen counties all the way to New Mexico. He was…

  • Brazos Indian Reservation School · 3.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Graham, Texas, near where the Brazos Indian Reservation once stood. Created by the state in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1854</say-as>, this refuge was home to over a thousand Anadarko,…

  • The Tonk Valley Community · 4.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Tonk Valley, a place named for the Tonkawa people, who called themselves 'The most human of people.' The first attempt at settlement here was way back in 1851, by Elijah Skidmore, but he was…

  • Gooseneck Cemetery · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Gooseneck Cemetery, named for a bend in the Brazos River. This burial ground first served pioneers of the Gooseneck community, with burials dating back to shortly after the Civil War. The earliest…

  • Medlan Chapel Primitive Baptist Church · 5.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Medlan Chapel Primitive Baptist Church, built in 1882 from native sandstone. The pews were hauled here by ox wagon from Sherman. The church and land were donated by A.B. and Betty Medlan in 1888.…

  • Johnson, Britt · 6.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, near Graham, where Britt Johnson lived a life etched by the frontier. Born in 1823, Johnson was a cowboy and an Indian scout. He even served as an orderly at Fort Belknap. But his…

  • Warren Wagontrain Raid · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas right now, maybe near Jacksboro, and you're passing through a place that changed the course of history for Native Americans on the Plains. It was May 1871. General William Tecumseh…

  • Clifton, Elizabeth Ann Carter · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas, near what was once Fort Belknap. Right here, Elizabeth Ann Carter managed a ranch and a busy boarding house. She was illiterate and epileptic, but she was also a successful…

  • Goodnight-Loving Trail · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once the heart of cattle country, and right here in Young County, Texas, a legendary route began. In 1866, Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving blazed the Goodnight-Loving Trail, driving…

  • Johnson, Britton · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once the wild West Texas frontier. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1864</say-as>, Britton Johnson’s family was taken in the Elm Creek Raid. Johnson, a man who was…

  • Maman-Ti · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once Kiowa territory, a land shaped by powerful leaders like Maman-ti. Known as the 'Owl Prophet,' Maman-ti was a Kiowa chief and medicine man, born around 1835. He claimed to gain…

  • Neighbors, Robert Simpson · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once the wild Texas frontier, a place where tensions ran high between settlers and Native American tribes. Right here, Robert Simpson Neighbors was a key figure, serving as an Indian…

  • Salt Creek Prairie · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, on what was once known as Salt Creek Prairie. For years, this rolling landscape was called 'the most dangerous prairie in Texas.' It was a favorite hunting ground for Comanche and…

  • Young County · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, a place that was once a flashpoint between settlers and Native American tribes. Back in 1851, the U.S. Army established Fort Belknap right here, hoping to bring order to the…

  • Cement Mountain · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, near Graham, and right here is Cement Mountain. It's not a mountain made of cement, but it's topped with boulders of sandstone and gravel, rising 200 feet above the prairie. This…

  • Elm Creek Raid · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once western Young County, near Elm Creek, right where a dramatic frontier raid unfolded on October 13, 1864. Hundreds of Kiowa and Comanche warriors swept through the valley, attacking…

  • Fort Belknap · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, heading past the site of old Fort Belknap. Founded in 1851, this wasn't just any outpost; it was the northern anchor of a vital chain of forts protecting the Texas frontier. Troops…

  • McLennon, John · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once Fort Belknap, a place that saw the birth of John McLennon in 1855. McLennon wasn't just born here; he became a soldier and a hero. In August of 1877, he was part of a fierce battle…

  • Shumard, George Getz · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas, maybe near the Llano Estacado, and you're passing through country that George Getz Shumard explored over 170 years ago. A surgeon by trade, Shumard was also a keen geologist who…

  • Tackett, Pleasant · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, Texas, and right here near Fish Creek, about eight miles south of Fort Belknap, is where a man known as the 'fighting parson' settled. Pleasant Tackett arrived in Texas in the 1850s,…

  • Turtle Hole · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, and right here is the site of Turtle Hole, a vital water stop on the old Butterfield Overland Mail route. But this peaceful watering hole has a darker history. In January of <say-as…

  • Woolfolk, Joseph Alfred · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once frontier Texas, and right here, in the area of Belknap, a dramatic legal battle unfolded. In 1871, lawyer Joseph Alfred Woolfolk, a Civil War veteran and cattleman, took on one of…

  • Belknap, TX · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Belknap was a half mile east of Fort Belknap and three miles south of the site of present Newcastle in Young County. The nearby fort was named for Gen. William G. Belknap , who selected the site and established Camp…

  • Flag Springs · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Flag Springs is a popular spring-fed watering hole and cow camp on the Fort Worth-Fort Belknap road and an unnamed tributary of Salt Creek, ten miles east of Fort Belknap and three miles north of Graham in central Young…

  • Camp Radziminski · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what was once Indian Territory, near the modern-day border of Texas, and you might be passing near the site of Camp Radziminski. Established in September of <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • M. D. Harrell Site · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Young County, near South Bend, and you're passing over a place that was once a bustling village. This is the M. D. Harrell site, a major archeological find on the Brazos River. Excavations in the…

  • Farmer, TX (Young County) · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Farmer is near the junction of Farm roads 1769 and 2652, eight miles northwest of Loving and sixteen miles east of Olney in northeast Young County. The community, originally called Brush or Brushy, was renamed in honor…

  • Eliasville, TX · 6.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Eliasville is on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River near the intersection of Farm roads 1974, 3109, and 701, close to the Stephens county line in southwest Young County. The townsite was on the land of J. L. Dobbs, who…

  • Salt Creek Massacre · 6.5 mi · Wikipedia

    On the afternoon of May 18, 1871, about 150 Kiowa and Comanche warriors waited behind a hill on the Salt Creek Prairie, nine miles from Graham, Texas. They were watching for a target on the wagon road that ran between…

  • Underground in Nagasaki When the Bomb Fell · 7.0 mi

    U.S. Highway Three Eighty, from Graham east to Bryson, is the Henry H. King Memorial Highway. Henry King served in the Army in World War Two and was captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. He survived the Bataan…

  • Water Samples and a Chemical Truck · 7.4 mi

    State Highway Sixteen in Young County, from the Palo Pinto County line northwest to Graham, is the Texas Game Warden Joseph Marshall Evans Memorial Highway. In nineteen sixty five this road was numbered State Highway…

  • Home of Lewis Pinkney Brooks · 8.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the former home of Lewis Pinkney Brooks, a Civil War veteran. After the war, he made an incredible journey, riding a mule all the way from Georgia to Texas in 1866. He settled here and built this…

  • Major Robert Simpson Neighbors · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Major Robert Simpson Neighbors. Major Robert Simpson Neighbors who served in the Army of Texas, 1836 * Captured by General Woll, 1842 * U. S. Indian agent, 1845 * Born in Virginia, November 3, 1815 *…

  • Major Robert S. Neighbors · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the area where Major Robert S. Neighbors met his end. Neighbors was a forceful peacemaker and humanist, deeply influential over Texas' Native American tribes. He served as an Indian agent, improving…

  • Butterfield Overland Stages · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, following a route once vital to a nation. From 1858 to 1861, the Butterfield Overland Stages ran semi-weekly service between St. Louis and San Francisco, right through this area. The…

  • Military Road (Ft. Belknap-Ft Worth) · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, heading east on what was once a vital military road. Back in 1851, this route connected Fort Belknap and Fort Worth, serving as a lifeline for troops, travelers, and essential…

  • Fort Belknap (Texas) · 9.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This unassuming spot was once the northernmost outpost of civilization in Texas, a vital link in a chain of forts protecting settlers. In 1851, Fort Belknap was established by General William Belknap to defend against…

  • Colonel William C. Young · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, home of Colonel William C. Young. A Tennessee lawyer and U.S. Marshall, he became a Texas Ranger, a Mexican War colonel, and commanded the 11th Texas Cavalry during the Civil War. He…

  • Tonkawa Scouts, C.S.A. · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, where the Tonkawa tribe played a crucial role during the Civil War. Unlike other tribes who were hostile, the Tonkawa allied with Texans, serving as invaluable scouts against enemies…

  • Old Fort Belknap Powder Magazine · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Old Fort Belknap Powder Magazine. Best preserved of the original structures at Fort Belknap. The Fort, named for its builder, Brig. Gen. W.

  • Camp Belknap, CSA · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, near where Camp Belknap, a Confederate frontier post, stood. In the spring of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1863</say-as>, local soldiers joined the frontier regiment here…

  • Military Road (Ft. Belknap-Ft Phantom Hill) · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past a stretch of a crucial military road, first surveyed in 1849 by Colonel J. E. Johnson for the U.S. War Department. From 1851 to 1854, this route connected frontier forts Belknap and Phantom Hill.…

  • Military Road (Ft. Belknap-San Antonio) · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the path of a vital Military Road, connecting Fort Belknap to San Antonio. Blazed in 1851 by Lieutenant Francis T. Bryan, this route served troops, supply trains, and settlers pushing the Texas…

  • Battle of Stone Houses · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker

    On November 10, 1837, eighteen Texas Rangers rode into a fight with 150 Kichai warriors near three stone formations that gave the battle its name. The Rangers were outnumbered nearly ten to one. For two hours, they…

  • Elm Creek Raid - Britt Johnson · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker

    On October 13, 1864, several hundred Kiowa and Comanche warriors swept down Elm Creek in Young County, killing twelve settlers and soldiers and kidnapping six women and children. Among the captured were the wife and…

  • Two Miles Southwest to Fort Belknap · 10.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Young County, and just a couple miles southwest of here lies the site of Fort Belknap. Established way back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1850</say-as>, this was the largest military…

  • Harmonson Ranch · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, where Peter Harmonson established his ranch known as Harmonson Rancho. Harmonson, a Kentucky native who arrived in Texas in 1845, was a true frontier leader. He helped form Denton…

  • How Oil and Gas Engineered a Ghost Town · 10.7 mi

    The story of Newcastle's decline is a lesson in energy technology. The town was built on a solid fuel: coal, first shipped out of here in 1908, and getting it took shafts, strip pits and a dedicated railroad. Then…

  • Life in a Company Town · 10.7 mi

    Imagine living in a town where your landlord, your boss, and your grocer were all the same outfit. That was life in Newcastle. The Belknap Coal Company sank its shaft here in 1908 and shipped its first coal to Wichita…

  • The Last Mine Whistle · 10.7 mi

    In 1942, a sound that had defined life in Newcastle for better than thirty years went quiet. The last working coal mine in town shut down, and the whistle that had called men underground since 1908 blew for the final…

  • Newcastle, TX · 10.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Newcastle, a town born from the earth itself. Back in 1908, this spot was chosen for a new community, named after a famous coal town in England. The real story here? Coal. The Belknap Coal Company…

  • Buried Here are the Remains of Seven Teamsters · 11.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, near Loving. Look for this marker commemorating a violent clash. Here lie the remains of seven teamsters – Nathan Long, the Elliott brothers, the Williams brothers, and J.J. Baxter…

  • McCloud, James Madison · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Bryson, Texas, and just a few miles east of here, a man named James Madison McCloud started something that lasted over fifty years. A Civil War veteran from Tennessee, McCloud moved his family to…

  • Bryson, TX · 12.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Bryson, Texas, a town that started life as Mount Hecla. <break time="400ms"/> It all began in 1878 when Henry Bryson built the first log house right here. <break time="400ms"/> The post office…

  • Bryson, TX · 12.4 mi

    Bryson was originally known as 'Mount Hecla' when a post office opened there in 1878. The community was later renamed after Henry Bryson, who built the area's first residence, a log cabin, in 1878. The name change was…

  • Bryson · 12.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're passing through Bryson, once the undisputed Petroleum Capital of Jack County! It all started back in 1878 when Civil War veteran Henry E. Bryson built his log cabin right here. The town grew from farming and…

  • Drilling Into Deep Time · 13.2 mi

    The oil boom that defined Bryson was a feat of early 20th-century engineering, guided by geology. The key was understanding the rock beneath your feet. Bryson sits on a geological feature called the Bend Arch, which…

  • Boomtown Bryson · 13.2 mi

    In the early 1920s, Bryson was a quiet little railroad town serving farmers and ranchers — the Rock Island had reached it back in 1903. Then oil came in. Wildcatters had found it in Jack County as early as 1898, but by…

  • Bryson, TX · 13.2 mi

    Bryson's history began in the late 19th century when it was first known as 'Mount Hecla'. The community was renamed after Henry Bryson, who built the area's first residence, a log cabin, in 1878. The name change was…

  • Site of Cottonwood Spring · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Site of Cottonwood Spring. 19th century oasis around a lone cottonwood tree and a good spring. Wagon ruts from heavy traffic attracted here are still visible on hill to the southwest. In 1849, Capt.…

  • Hawkins Chapel · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, near the site of Hawkins Chapel. The Hawkins family settled here in 1876, building a school by 1879 and a Methodist church in 1884. Though the school and church closed by 1916, the…

  • Donnell Mill, Old · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Donnell Mill, a testament to grit and flour power! James Donnell and his family faced heartbreak before finally finishing this dam and mill in 1876. For nearly fifty years, it ground…

  • Comanche Trail Through Palo Pinto County · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Palo Pinto County, following a route used for centuries by Native Americans and early travelers. This was part of the Comanche Trail, a vital path blazed by Plains Indians in the 1700s. It…

  • Loving Ranch House · 14.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Jack County, past the site of the old Loving Ranch House, built in 1872. This wasn't just any ranch; it was the birthplace of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. J. C. Loving,…

  • Veales Creek Cemetery · 15.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Veales Creek Cemetery, a resting place for pioneers and travelers. The Veale brothers gave the creek its name in the late 1850s while rounding up cattle. Land gifts in 1891 and later by the O'Connor…

  • The Song That Made a Lake Famous · 15.3 mi · Things to Do

    In 1994 Dallas band the Toadies released Possum Kingdom a dark brooding single off their debut album Rubberneck. Singer Vaden Todd Lewis spun a ghoulish tale…

  • South Prairie Cemetery · 15.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past South Prairie Cemetery, founded in 1880 as the community burial ground for a settlement that's now gone. It was the last visible reminder of South Prairie, holding graves of pioneers and veterans.

  • First Methodist Church, Jermyn -Texas · 15.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Jermyn, where the First Methodist Church was organized on November 24, 1909. The first service was held in the home of W. T. Jones. This church building, the first in the area, was constructed in…

  • The Drowned Town of Pickwick · 15.9 mi · Things to Do

    When the Morris Sheppard Dam was completed in the 1930s the rising waters of Possum Kingdom Lake slowly swallowed the tiny settlement of Pickwick. Houses…

  • Jermyn, Community of · 16.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising past the site of Jermyn, a town that owes its very existence to the railroad. Founded in 1909, Jermyn sprang up around the roundhouse and depot of the Gulf, Texas & Western Railroad, named for its…

  • Indian Raid on Elm Creek, CSA · 16.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of one of the most brutal Indian raids on the Texas frontier during the Civil War. On October 13th, 1864, Comanches attacked the Fitzpatrick Ranch, just north of here. The violence was…

  • Hell's Gate at Possum Kingdom · 16.4 mi · Things to Do

    Hell's Gate is the narrow pass on Possum Kingdom Lake where the Brazos River cuts between two soaring sandstone cliffs. The cliffs are remnants of the Palo…

  • Pickwick-McAdams Cemetery · 16.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising past the Pickwick-McAdams Cemetery, a final resting place for folks who settled this rugged frontier. Captain William Carroll McAdams, a Texas Ranger and Mexican War veteran, arrived in the 1840s and…

  • Farmer Cemetery · 16.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, heading past the site of what was once the town of Farmer. In 1877, Baptist preacher W.H. Farmer and his family settled here, establishing not just a store and post office, but also…

  • Common Grave · 16.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Newcastle, and just off the road here lies a grim reminder of frontier life. On July 17, 1867, a raid by Native Americans on Elm Creek claimed the lives of three young men. Rice Carlton, only…

  • Proffitt Cemetery · 16.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, near Newcastle. Look around and imagine this land in 1867. It was frontier life, and it could be harsh. Right here, in a common grave on John Proffitt's land, lie the first souls…

  • Farmer · 16.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the tiny community of Farmer, named for a missionary who camped here back in 1877. Reverend William H. Farmer was more than just a traveler; he opened a general store and became the town's first…

  • Civilian Conservation Corps at Possum Kingdom State Park · 16.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Caddo, Texas, and the beauty of Possum Kingdom State Park owes a lot to a group of young men from the Civilian Conservation Corps. In May of 1941, Company 2888 arrived here, tasked with developing…

  • Little Salt Creek Indian Fight · 16.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Young County, not far from Olney, and you're passing the site of a fierce clash in Texas frontier history. On May 16th, 1869, a cattle roundup crew found themselves under an unprovoked attack by…

  • Tyra Graveyard-Murray Community Cemetery · 17.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Murray Community Cemetery, originally known as Fish Creek. The first burial here was in 1884, an infant child of the Tyra family, on land donated by her grandparents. Later, neighbors added their…

  • Winn Hill Cemetery · 17.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Jack County, near where the historic Butterfield Stage route once ran. This cemetery, Winn Hill, is named for William H. Wynne, who was killed by Indians right around here in 1863. The community…

  • Murray Methodist Church · 18.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through what used to be the Fish Creek community. Back in 1874, pioneers like Thomas Price used an abandoned log cabin as a place of worship for everyone, regardless of denomination. The Fish Creek…

  • Sheppard, Morris, Dam and Possum Kingdom Lake · 18.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Morris Sheppard Dam, the massive structure holding back Possum Kingdom Lake. This wasn't just about recreation; it was a massive federal project born from disaster. Texas faced terrible Brazos…

  • Salt Creek Cemetery · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Salt Creek Cemetery, also known as Dark Corner. It started in 1878 when the Jonas family, early settlers here since 1876, offered a burial spot for a child from a traveling family. They later…

  • The Kingdom of Possums · 19.3 mi

    The reason Graford is on the map today is just a few miles west of here: Possum Kingdom Lake. But where did that unforgettable name come from? The most popular legend credits a man named Ike Sablosky, a fur and hide…

  • Engineering a Lake in the Canyon · 19.3 mi

    The massive Possum Kingdom Lake, which reshaped this entire region, is a marvel of 1930s engineering. To tame the wild Brazos River, engineers chose a deep, rocky canyon west of here to build the Morris Sheppard Dam. It…

  • The Month the Sky Burned · 19.3 mi

    In April 2011, the residents of Graford watched the western sky fill with a terrifying orange glow. A catastrophic wildfire had erupted in the dry, rugged hills around Possum Kingdom Lake. Fueled by high winds and one…

  • The Ghost of the Railroad · 19.3 mi

    As you look at Graford's layout, you're seeing the ghost of a railroad — but the town got here first. Its post office opened in 1894, and its name is two towns spliced together: GRAham and weatherFORD, the places it…

  • The One-Armed Dove Hunt · 19.6 mi

    One of the most remarkable things about Olney is not a building, it is an event. In 1972 two local men — Jack Bishop and Jack Northrup, each of them missing an arm at the shoulder, known around town as the One-Armed…

  • The Aviation Pioneer of Olney · 19.6 mi

    On the edge of Olney you will find a factory that changed agriculture around the world, and it is the legacy of Leland Snow. Snow designed his first agricultural airplane in the early 1950s and built it himself, because…

  • The Plane That Feeds the World · 19.6 mi

    The most important piece of technology to ever come out of Olney is the Air Tractor. These iconic yellow airplanes, built right here, are marvels of purpose-driven engineering. Founder Leland Snow designed them to solve…

  • The Roaring Twenties on Main Street · 19.6 mi

    As you pass through downtown Olney, take a look at the buildings - those sturdy two-story brick fronts on Main Street are the receipts from a wilder decade. Olney was already a rail town; it incorporated in 1909 and…

  • The Legend of Hells Gate · 19.8 mi · Things to Do

    Before Possum Kingdom Lake existed a sheer cliff towered over the Brazos River in Palo Pinto County. Legend says a fur trader stole pelts from local Comanches…

  • Markley Cemetery Decoration Day · 19.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Markley Cemetery, but this marker tells a story that's more about community than final rest. Back in 1881, this burial ground started next to a schoolhouse. By 1890, it was neglected, so…

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