Jordans Saline
Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
John Jordan established the community of Jordans Saline when he settled here in 1844 and joined with A.T. McGee in organizing a salt company. When Van Zandt County formed in 1848, Jordans Saline was named temporary county seat. Although the county seat moved in 1850, Jordans Saline continued to grow and by 1860, it had a thriving salt industry and other businesses. In 1873, the Texas & Pacific Railroad extended from Marshall to Dallas, passing one mile north of the town. S.Q. Richardson, a successful salt maker, donated land for a townsite on the railroad, and Grand Saline was laid out. Residents moved, establishing the community of Grand Saline and soon Jordans Saline ceased to exist. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When John Jordan settled in this corner of East Texas in 1844, he and partner A.T. McGee tapped the region's underground salt deposits to found Jordans Saline. Salt was a frontier necessity—for preserving meat, tanning hides, and trade—and the little town thrived on it, even serving briefly as Van Zandt County's first seat. But when the Texas & Pacific Railroad laid its tracks a mile to the north in 1873, the whole community picked up and moved to the rails, reincorporating as Grand Saline. Jordans Saline simply faded away.
Why it matters
The rise and fall of Jordans Saline captures a pattern repeated across 19th-century America: towns lived or died by the railroad, and a settlement's fortunes could depend entirely on whether the tracks passed through or a mile away.
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Related people
- · John Jordan
- · A.T. McGee
- · S.Q. Richardson
Themes & tags
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