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History
in a Pecan Shell
The town was laid out by A. L. Odin in 1871 and became the county
seat that year under the name Frio City. The site was chosen for its
convenient low water crossing of the Frio River - said to have been
used by Juan Ugalde (Uvalde's
namesake), Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution and General Woll
when he briefly occupied San
Antonio in 1842.
The courthouse was finished in 1872 and the town had a stone jail
as well. The original jail is still standing. The post office was
established in that same year and a Masonic lodge was established
sometime during the 1870s. The courthouse burned in 1877, and a new
stone courthouse was constructed with assistance of local rancher
W. J. Slaughter. |
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The
former Frio County Courthouse in Frio Town
Photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com |
Frio City was
an outpost of civilization - and the town would occasionally fill
with people seeking safe haven from Comanche raids. Rangers were called
in to solve the Indian mischief and the last incident occurred in
1877. In the early 1880s the estimated population was close to 1,500.
Frio City lost its prestige and population when it was bypassed by
the International-Great Northern Railroad in 1881. Pearsall was on
the line, however, and people and businesses moved the 16 miles to
be connected to the rest of the world.
Pearsall became
the county seat in 1883 and the decline in population made Frio City
officially Frio Town in 1886. The courthouse was purchased in 1884
by an individual and became a general store/ post office for the shrunken
community.
By 1890 there were only 100 people left in Frio Town and in 1916 the
two-teacher Frio Academy was teaching 16 students in the former courthouse.
Nevertheless, Frio Town was wired to the outside world by telephone
in 1914.
By 1953 Mrs. A. C. Roberts owned most of the townsite, including the
former courthouse and jail. Mrs. Roberts had an interest in history
and contributed what she knew in a 1936 article in Frontier Times
called: "Frio County Has a Colorful History," which remains part of
the bibliography for the Handbook of Texas' entry for Frio Town.
Today the former courthouse, jail, cemetery and of course, the river
crossing are all that is left of the once prosperous Frio City. The
ruins are on private property, although the cemetery (on FM 140) is
accessible. |
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