Robert West Foster

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, Sterling County doesn't give up its stories easy, but this one's worth sittin' with. The story of Robert West Foster.

Born in Kentucky, Foster came out to the Sterling County area in 1881, and he didn't come alone. He brought his brother, W. L.

Foster, with him. Two men, one destination, and a whole lot of open country waiting to find out what they were made of. Robert West Foster turned out to be made of quite a bit.

He built himself a ranch out here, and when it came time to move cattle to market, there were no rail lines reaching this part of Texas yet. So what did he do? He drove his cattle all the way to Fort Worth.

Not a short haul, not a casual ride. Fort Worth. That was the market, and that was the road he took, however long it was and however many times he had to take it.

But Foster wasn't just a man of the range. He had an eye for community, too. He was a charter member of the First Methodist Church here, one of the founding faithful who helped that congregation get its footing.

He also served as a director of the First National Bank of Sterling City, which tells you something about the trust this county placed in him. And when it came time to give something back to the place that had been his home, he contributed this very site, originally part of his own ranch, to the community. A pioneer settler, a cattleman, a church founder, a banker's steady hand.

Robert West Foster came to Sterling County in 1881 with his brother and a willingness to build something. Turns out, he built quite a lot.

What the marker says

A pioneer settler of the Sterling County area, Kentucky-born Robert West Foster came here in 1881 with his brother W. L. Foster. A rancher, R. W. Foster drove his cattle to market in Fort Worth before rail lines reached this area. He was an active civic leader, a charter member of the First Methodist Church and a director of the First National Bank of Sterling City. His contributions to the community included this site, originally part of his ranch. Recorded - 1982