Squaw Mountain Community
Jacksboro, Jack County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Legend tells of a mountaintop skirmish between Native Americans and Texas Rangers in 1875. A woman was accidentally killed; the Rangers buried her on the mountain and named the place for her. In 1877 pioneers began to settle here, and in 1892 a post office and a stagecoach relay station were established. At its peak the Squaw Mountain community included two cotton gins and a thresher, a general store, blacksmith shop, school, and church. By 1917 a flowing water well and two coal mines had been discovered. In 1997 only the Squaw Mountain church and a few scattered buildings remained. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Legend traces the name of Squaw Mountain to an 1875 skirmish between Native Americans and Texas Rangers, when a woman was accidentally killed and buried on the mountain. Pioneers settled here beginning in 1877, and by 1892 a post office and stagecoach relay station had appeared; at its height the community boasted cotton gins, a store, a blacksmith, a school, and a church. By 1997 little remained but the church and a few scattered buildings.
Why it matters
The rise and near-vanishing of Squaw Mountain traces the full life cycle of a North Texas frontier settlement, from contested ground to bustling crossroads to near-ghost town.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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