HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Site of the Trading Post of Holland Coffee

Pottsboro, Grayson County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Established about 1837 for trade with the Indians of the Red River region and the western plains. Here many white captives of the Red Men were redeemed. From its vicinity the Snively Expedition set out for New Mexico on April 25, 1843. Abandoned after Coffee's death in 1846.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Around 1837, on the eve of Texas independence, Holland Coffee opened a trading post here on the Red River to deal with the Indigenous peoples of the region and the western plains. Captives held among the tribes were sometimes ransomed and freed at this spot, and in 1843 the controversial Snively Expedition set out from nearby to raid the Santa Fe trade. The post was abandoned after Coffee's death in 1846.

Why it matters

Frontier trading posts were the volatile contact zone between Anglo settlers, the Republic of Texas, and the powerful Native nations of the southern plains.

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Related people

  • · Holland Coffee

Related events

  • · Snively Expedition

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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