Frisco Depot

Duane's take

The marker's got the story, and here's how I tell it. Back in 1909, the folks out in this part of Texas had a problem as old as the cattle business itself: they had livestock to sell and no fast way to get them anywhere. So the residents of this area did what Texans do: they went looking for a solution, and they found one in the form of the Ft.

Worth and Rio Grande Railroad, a branch of the Frisco System. They asked that railroad to extend its track from Brady (forty miles to the northeast) all the way down to Menardville. Now, that is not a small ask.

That is a bet-the-farm kind of ask. And the community knew it. So they put some skin in the game.

The ranchers donated the right of way. The townspeople went a step further and erected the depot themselves. They even shortened the town's name; Menardville became simply Menard.

Whether that was civic pride or just good sense, the marker doesn't say, but it happened. Then came the waiting. Two years of it.

And then, February 10th, 1911, the first train arrived. You can imagine what that sounded like rolling across those hills. Celebrations marked the occasion, as well they should have.

But the story wasn't quite finished yet. A few months later, on the Fourth of July, 1911, the mission revival station itself was completed, and they celebrated that too. Two parties in one year for one railroad line; Menard had earned every bit of it.

The Santa Fe system later acquired the line and kept it running for decades. Rail service finally ended in 1972, and this building, this depot that the townspeople built with their own hands to chase down a railroad, became a historical museum. Some things are worth holding onto.

What the marker says

Seeking a rail line to speed marketing of their livestock, residents of this area in 1909 asked the Ft. Worth & Rio Grande Railroad, a branch of the Frisco System, to extend track from Brady (40 miles northeast) to Menardville. Ranchers donated right of way, while townspeople erected this depot and shortened the town's name to "Menard". Celebrations marked the arrival of the first train, Feb. 10, 1911, and completion of this mission revival station, July 4, 1911. The Santa Fe system later acquired the line. After rail service ended in 1972, this building became a historical museum. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark--1978