Saint Jo sits in the rolling Cross Timbers country of southern Montague County, roughly thirty miles south of the Red River and about fifteen miles south of Nocona. It is one of the county’s older incorporated communities, with roots that run back to the early 1870s and the Chisholm Trail era when this stretch of north Texas was alive with cattle movement.
Founding and Chisholm Trail Era
Saint Jo developed as a community during the cattle-drive years, positioned along the trail-support corridor that ran through southern Montague County. The town’s most enduring physical artifact from this period is the Stonewall Saloon, built in 1873 from native stone — the oldest standing structure in Saint Jo. Named for Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, it served drovers moving cattle north toward Kansas and functioned as the town’s first permanent building. The saloon operated through the cattle-drive years, closing as a drinking establishment after Montague County voted dry in 1897. It has operated for years as the Stonewall Saloon Museum.
Character and Community
Today Saint Jo is a quiet small city with a population around 942. The surrounding country is classic Western Cross Timbers: cedar, post oak, and blackjack oak on sandy loam uplands, with creek-bottom hardwoods along the drainage lines. Agriculture — cattle ranching, hay production — defines the rural landscape around town.
Saint Jo serves as the nearest service community to the Illinois Bend area in the county’s northeastern corner. FM 677 north of Saint Jo leads to the Illinois Bend Memorial Cemetery and the historic Red River bend settlement.
Getting There
Saint Jo sits at the intersection of US-82 and FM 677 in southern Montague County. Nocona is approximately 15 miles north; Bowie is approximately 25 miles to the west.
Related places: Illinois Bend | Stonewall Saloon Museum | Nocona