Rio Vista

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Rio Vista, Johnson County, Texas. Now settle in, because this one's got railroad iron, river views, and a fire that changed everything. Rio Vista sits in an area of Johnson County's earliest settlement, and when the railroad came through in 1885, that's when this town got its start.

The townsite looks out over both Nolan River and Mustang Creek, and somebody with an eye for scenery gave it a Spanish name that means exactly what you're seein': River View. Rio Vista. That same year, 1885, a post office opened up to serve the growing community.

It didn't last forever on the first try; closed in 1889; but by 1890 it was back open, which tells you the town wasn't going anywhere. Fast forward to 1896, and Rio Vista was humming along with 175 residents, eight stores, a lumber yard, a steam gin, and a steam corn sheller. The public school system got its start that very same year.

Then came the early years of the 20th century, telephone lines going in, and three passenger trains pulling into that depot every single day. Three. Daily.

That's a town with somewhere to be. But here's where the story takes a hard turn. In 1914, a fire tore through Rio Vista and destroyed 24 buildings.

Twenty-four. The thriving economy, the marker says, was shattered. Many businesses were hurt, and the rebuilding was slow; cotton carrying the economy through the lean years, with dairy farming stepping up to matter later on.

And then, just as the railroad had done back in the 1880s, something new came through and lifted Rio Vista again: the building of State Highway 174 through town in the 1950s brought another boost. Railroad, then highway. Each generation gets its own version of the road that changes things.

Rio Vista has been part of Johnson County history from the very beginning, and from where it sits (overlooking Nolan River and Mustang Creek) it's got the view to prove it.

What the marker says

Located in an area of Johnson County's earliest settlement, Rio Vista was founded on the railroad in 1885. The townsite, which affords views of both Nolan River and Mustang Creek, was given the spanish name for "River View". The post office that was established in Rio Vista in 1885 was discontinued in 1889, but was reinstated in 1890. By 1896, the community boasted 175 residents, eight stores, a lumber yard, steam gin, and a steam corn sheller. Rio Vista's public school system also began that year. Telephone lines were installed during the early years of the 20th century, when three passenger trains were arriving daily at the depot. The thriving economy was shattered, however, by a fire in 1914 that destroyed 24 buildings. Many of the businesses were hurt, and the rebuilding process was slow. Cotton sustained the economy during that time, and dairy farming later became important. Just as the coming of the railroad had initiated growth in Rio Vista during the 1880s, the building of State Highway 174 through town in the 1950s brought a boost to the economy. From its beginnings as a railroad community, Rio Vista has been an important part of Johnson County history.