Menard, TX

Menard is the county-seat city of Menard County, on the San Saba River in central Texas. U.S. Highways 83 and 190 meet here, making the town a practical stop in a broad ranching country where distances are part of the local math. The river gives Menard its green strip and its flood memory; a major flood in 1899 damaged the community. Around town the map holds more history than the size suggests, including the former mission and presidio site near the river and Fort McKavett about 22 miles southwest.

The Spanish mission San Sabá and Presidio San Luis de Amarillas were established here in 1757. Later, Menard grew around the frontier routes, the river, and the county's ranch economy. The old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe depot survived after rail service ended in 1972 and became a local history museum. Menard Independent School District serves the town, and annual events include the Jim Bowie Trail Ride. The local scoop is that Menard is a working county seat with a river, a Spanish mission story, a ghost of a railroad, and Fort McKavett close enough to keep the frontier past in view.