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History in
a Pecan Shell
First named Head
of Elm for it being near the headwaters of the Elm Fork of the
Trinity River, the community was visited by various Army expeditions,
including Captain Marcy (1848) and Col. Albert Sydney Johnston (1855).
The town was considered briefly as the county seat, but lost out to
Montague. By the early
1870s, Head of Elm was thriving – partially due to it’s location on
the Chisholm Trail. In 1872 a group of investors purchased a section
of land that included the community. A plat was made and the town
was renamed St. Jo after investor Joseph A. Howell. The following
year a post office was granted as St. Jo, Texas and by the mid 1880s
the community had a respectable population estimated at 500, doubling
that figure by 1890. Ten years later it had decreased to 825. For
the rest of the 20th Century and into the 21st, St. Jo’s population
has hovered around 1000 residents. |
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Saint
Jo's street scene with water tower
TE photo, 2000 |
Saint Jo, Texa
Forum
The main trail
to Red River Station
passed near Saint Jo where there were 7 saloons to serve the cowboy's
needs. One saloon, The Stonewall, has been restored and serves as
a museum. Much of the Saint Jo Square has been preserved by John Sickles,
whose wife, Donna
Howell Sickles, a descendent of Joe Howell for whom Saint Jo was
named, notably The Cowgirl Artist, has a studio and art gallery. Saint
Jo is truly a destination town for those interested in the Trail Drive
Days. - Martha Thompson, October 07, 2014 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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