Rio Medina, AKA Riomedina, Texas. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Named for being between two branches of the Medina River, the community appeared around 1900 with the opening of a saloon. A cotton gin and store opened by the saloon proprietor�s son gave locals a reason to go to �town.�

A post office was granted in 1908 and by 1914 the community was bursting at its seams with a population of fifteen (15). Competition for the saloon�s patrons arrived in 1910 with a second saloon.

The Medina Lake Dam project began around this time just seven miles north. The saloon begat a dance hall which was (much) later moved to Greune, Texas where it has become a Texas legend.

In the mid-1920s the town supported a school and teacherage and was the education hub of three separate districts.

The community peaked at the end of the 1920s with 200 residents. It survived the Great Depression and WWII, but by the end of the 1940s, it was reduced to just 100 residents. It was halved again by the early 1990s. It has remained more or less remained at around 50 people through the 2000 census.

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