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TIOGA, TEXAS
Would you have
heard of it
if it were renamed "Autry Springs"?
Grayson County,
Central Texas
North
33° 28' 5" N, 96° 55' 3" W (33.468056, -96.9175)
US 377 and FM 121
SW of Sherman
the county seat
N of Denton
Approximately 70 miles N of Dallas
ZIP code 76271
Area code 940
Population: 1,051 Est. (2019)
803 (2010) 754 (2000) 625 (1990)
Book Hotel Here › Sherman
Hotels | Dallas
Hotels
|
| Tucked
away in the SE corner of Grayson
County is the tiny hamlet of Tioga. We may not have learned about
Tioga, had it not been for Hal, a viewer self-described as new to
the Internet, but wise enough to recognize what Texas Escapes is about.
Hal was wondering if we could say a few words about Tioga and Saint
Joe, places where he grew up that are special to him. |
We
came across a small book in the Burnet Public Library (no relation
to Autry's sidekick, Smiley Burnette) titled: I Remember Things:
An Informal History of Tioga Texas. Written by Ross Estes
and Compiled and Edited by Robert J. Duncan. Published by Nortex Press,
Quanah, Texas in 1977.
Most of the book deals with the mineral water that was bottled there
and once promised to make Tioga a household word. What caught our
eye, though, was the part where Tioga was almost renamed Autry
Springs, Texas in honor of Cowboy
Gene. |
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It seems as though there was quite a ruckus about the proposed name
change. Gene himself thought "it was a gag" and critics said it was
a plot by Autry promoters and well owners to sell more mineral water
with a famous cowboy's name. The promoters (probably with pencil-thin
mustaches) offered to shoot a movie in Tioga if the town would change
its name. Pretty tempting. But suddenly skeletons starting coming
out of closets, and while they were innocent skeletons, they did bring
up a question that has been asked many times since. Namely, is a town
entitled to a cut of a hometown boy's fame? If yes, how much?
Gene, as you know, died only a few years ago and maybe it was drinking
that Tioga water that aided his longevity. But even after becoming
fabulously rich, there never was a scandal attached to Gene's name.
Palominos, not Palimony was Gene's credo. |
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Gene
Autry Street in Tioga
TE photo |
But
in the early thirties, even Texas' national pastime of exaggeration
was frowned upon in some circles. His biography stated Gene graduated
from Tioga High in 1925, but this was disputed by a former teacher,
who said Gene was long gone by '25 and never graduated there. Then
Dr. E. E. Ledbetter dropped a bomb by announcing that Gene was not
only not born in Tioga, but six miles west in neighboring Cooke
County! Dr. Ledbetter's word carried some weight, since he delivered
Gene and indeed, it was Dr. Eu(gene) Ledbetter that Autrey was named
after. Gene stayed out of the fight, because after all, that's The
Cowboy Way.
It was also brought up that Autry was "The Yodeling Cowboy from Oklahoma"
early in his career. State Lines can be bent if County Lines can.
Anyway, it never happened, which is just as well, since there is an
Aubrey, Texas
about 20 miles down the road (Hwy 377). Gene's career never suffered,
and Tioga is still on the map. |
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Bradley Cottage
1897-1936
A bathhouse for the mineral waters.
The only hotel in Tioga in 1902.
A registered 45-bed hospital for the elderly in 1912 |
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Historical Marker:
( 1 mile N on US 377, 0.5 mile W on FM 922)
Tioga Cemetery
In November 1881,
settlers established the community of Tioga on the eastern edge of
the East Cross Timbers, and it incorporated as a city in 1906. For
the first decades of Tioga's history, resident buried their loved
ones on private land in family cemeteries. In February 1906, W.R.
and Sally J. Gillespie deeded five acres of their farmland to the
local Woodmen of the World camp for use as a burial ground; the first
grave dates to that year. Many of the early headstones are Woodmen
of the World markers. The community continued using and improving
the cemetery over the years, adding a pavilion in 1924 for funeral
services. Today, the burial ground is a tie to generations of Tioga
area residents, and is the final resting place for veterans of military
conflicts dating to the Civil War, including both Union and Confederate
soldiers. Other notable persons interred here are Texas Senator Olin
R. Van Zandt and the Rev. H.G. Ball, a Primitive Baptist preacher
who presided over the funeral service for U.S. Speaker of the House
Sam
Rayburn. An association maintains the burial ground for future
generations.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004 |
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Tioga United
Methodist Church
On FM 121 at Porch St.
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2007 |
Historical Marker:
Tioga United
Methodist Church
Services began
in homes of the Shiloh community, two miles to the east of here. In
1887, the worshipers organized the Shiloh Methodist Church, with the
Rev. Mr. Allen as pastor. After Tioga was founded, the congregation
moved here and erected original building on this site in 1893. Additional
rooms and facilities have since been added to the central structure.
This church has faithfully served Tioga. One of its members, Olan
R. Van Zandt, was a representative, then senator, in the Texas Legislature
for 16 years, 1926-1942.
1976 |
Coca-Cola ghost
sign in Tioga
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2007 |
More about
Gene Autry:
Cowboy
Gene by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales")
Born to a farming family in 1907 in the East Texas town of Tioga,
Autry learned to walk and ride a horse at about the same time. His
grandfather was a Baptist preacher, and the youngster became a mainstay
in the church choir. When he was a little older, he also got to
be a good hand with a $5 mail order guitar. ... more
Torn
Between Two Cowboys in Moulton, Texas
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Two other incidents
that occurred in Tioga:
The Postmaster
commited suicide in 1930, but it had nothing to do with the proposed
name change. It occurred during a surprise visit by the Postal Inspector,
and since tall buildings were scarce in Tioga, the man drank carbolic
acid! Today, of course, he would've shot the postal inspector and
everyone else in Tioga. Times have changed.
In 1956, Sam
Rayburn was baptized at Tioga's Primitive Baptist Church by Pastor
Henry Ball. Five years later, Pastor Ball went to Bonham
(in neighboring Fannin
County) to preside at Mr. Sam's funeral. |
Getting There
From Dallas -
Junction of Hwy 377 and FM121
I - 75 North 49 miles, then take FM121 west for 21 miles, or
I - 35 North about 58 miles to FM922 east to junction of Hwy377
Tioga Website:
http://www.tiogatexas.org/ |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories
and recent or vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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