RIO FRIO, TEXAS
Once known as "The Ditch"

On the Frio River

Real County, Texas Hill Country

29° 38' 10" N, 99° 44' 12" W (29.636111, -99.736667)

Highway 83, FM1120
5 miles S of Leakey the county seat
22 miles SW of Vanderpool
35 miles N of Uvalde
86 miles NW of San Antonio
Population: 50 Est. (1985 to 2000)

Rio Frio Area Hotels › Uvalde Hotels | San Antonio Hotels

Frio River
Photo courtesy Linda Kirkpatrick, October 2007

The Frio River runs parallel between Highway 83 and FM 112 from Leakey . The 200 mile river flows into the Nueces River - a mile south of Three Rivers - after joining with the Leona River and Sabinal. (See Swimming to Mexico )

History in a Pecan Shell

The town was settled between 1856 and 1860 and many early settlers had previously lived in Leakey . Rio Frio's population has never exceeded seventy-five people.

Rio Frio was once known only as "The Ditch" after an irrigation ditch dug by the Lombardy Trading Company. Very near the tree the same company opened an Academy for the education of the area children which soon became a well-regarded institution.

A timeline of significant historic events in Rio Frio

1868: Local businessmen constructed a gravity-flow irrigation canal off the Frio River.
1871: A school was established
1875: A charter was granted for the Lombardy Irrigation Company and the town was granted a post office. The Irrigation Company then sold small plots to arriving settlers who had the responsibility of maintaining the canal.
1918: Real County's last cotton gin closed after a boll weevil infestation and this gave birth to the mohair business.
1920: A church building was built - serving both Baptists and Methodists. The building was later made a mission serving the Mexican and Mexican-Americans of the area.

Rio Frio Texas LombardyIrrigation Ditch Historic Marker

Lombardy Irrigation Ditch
Historic Marker
TE photo, 2001

Historical Marker:

Lombardy Irrigation Ditch

Dug in 1868, in pick-and-shovel operation, by Lombardy Irrigation Company, whose officers were N. M. C. Patterson, W. F. Smith, and T. Watkins.

Besides channeling water to irrigate over 800 acres, the 2-mile ditch furnished power for a cotton gin, and shingle, grist, and flour mills.

The settlement which grew up in the area was known as "The Ditch" until a post office was established in 1875. It was then named "Rio Frio" ("Cold River").

For a century the ditch has irrigated lands of families of two original company officers. (1968)

Rio Frio Chronicles

Rio Frio Cemetery
Photo courtesy Linda Kirkpatrick, October 2007

The White Lady of Rio Frio ›
by Linda Kirkpatrick

Story of a ghost that haunts the banks of the Frio River

Rio Frio Historic Tree

Photo courtesy Don Eichler, 2006

The Rio Frio Landmark Oak ›

Rio Frio Nearby Destinations

A few miles north to Leakey or south to Concan

Lost Maples State Natural Area

Garner State Park

FM 337, a scenic drive

Swimming to Mexico, Part III - A trip

Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 743 Leakey, TX 78873
830-232-5222.

TE photo, 2001

Frio River Texas
TE photo
Swimming to Mexico

Take a road trip

Texas Hill Country

Rio Frio, Texas Nearby Towns:
Leakey the county seat
Vanderpool
Uvalde
See Real County

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