The last supply stop on the Chisholm Trail before the Red River crossing into Indian Territory. The 1873 Stonewall Saloon — the town's first permanent structure — still stands on the historic square, now operated as a museum; the modern Red River Station concert venue carries on the town's role as a gathering place.
At a glance
- Population
- 881 (2020 census)
- Founded
- 1873
- ZIP code
- 76265
- Status
- Incorporated city
- Distance
- 15 mi from Montague
- Role
- Historic square with Chisholm Trail heritage tourism; Stonewall Saloon Museum and Red River Station concert venue
- County
- Montague
- Population
- 881
- Location
- Southern Montague County, US-82 / FM 677
- Founded
- ca. 1872–1873
- Notable
- Stonewall Saloon Museum (1873); Illinois Bend community to the north
- Elevation
- ~1,050 feet
Founding
Irby Holt Boggess and Joseph A. Howell purchased a 640-acre tract in 1872 and surveyed the townsite in 1873; they named it Saint Jo after Howell's abstemious character — a mocking nickname that became official. The Stonewall Saloon, the town's first permanent structure, opened the same year and served trail drovers before the Red River crossing.
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.
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 on February 11, 1899. It has operated for years as the Stonewall Saloon Museum.
Character and Community
Today Saint Jo is a quiet small city with a population of 881 (2020 census). 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
From the archives
Saint Jo in the editorial record
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