Despite attempts by the Spanish to colonize the area, large numbers of Europeans did not enter the Sabine River Basin until the 1820s, when Americans from the southern United States began to settle there.
When the Mexican General Manuel de Mier y Terlan was sent to the region to report in 1828, he found that the ratio of Americans to Mexicans was nearly ten to one.
Many of the very early settlers in Wood County did come by steamboat from New Orleans via the Sabine River. One of the ferry ports was near Hawkins and the settlement became known as Belzora Crossing. Many of those who came up the river settled in Wood County or adjoining counties.
Eventually, logjams and silt buildup prevented the steamboats from coming that far and soon Belzora Crossing became a ghost town.
The Sabine River in southeast Texas furnished transportation for the lumber and cotton harvested in that area. Great logs were cut from the pine forests and lashed together to make rafts, which were then floated downstream.
The first steamships began to ply the river in the late 1840s. Some of the noted riverboats were The Neches Belle, Pearl Rivers, Extra, and Maude Howell. All these steamers sank on the river between 1890 and 1900.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the middle Sabine River basin was the site of intensive dragging operations and numerous sawmills were built along the banks of the river and its tributaries.
In the upper reaches here in East Texas, the river traverses rolling terrain with soils of deep sandy loams, loamy sands and sand. Some of the trees that grow throughout this region are loblolly, longleaf and shortleaf pine, southern, post, red and white oak, and flowering dogwoods. Other trees found in the area are cottonwood, cypress, hackberry, pecan, blackgum, hickory and blackjack oak.
Archeological excavations have discovered evidence of all stage of southeastern Indian development. Indian development reached its peak after the arrival of the Caddos, about A.D. 780.
When the first Europeans entered the area in the 16th century, they found various groups of Caddos living along the Sabine. The Caddos had a village south of present day Mineola by the river. A portion of this is now a part of the Mineola Nature Preserve. Digs done about 30 years ago turned up arrowheads and other Indian artifacts.
Indians could also be found in the northern part of the county. Digs were done there in the early 1970s and many artifacts were found by an archeological team from Southern Methodist University. Most of the artifacts uncovered are on display at SMU. There are also some displayed in the Wood County Historical Museum in Quitman.
The name Sabine comes from the Spanish word for cypress and refers to the growth of cypress along the lower portion of the river. The stream was evidently named by Domingo Ramon in 1716, as it was designated Rio de Sabinas on a 1721 may showing the route of an expedition led by Marques de Aguayo.
In Wood County and other areas, the river is said to offer good fishing grounds. Today, in Mineola and the surrounding area, many still take their fishing pole to the river in the hope of catching enough catfish to fry for supper.
Though largely forgotten by many, the river is still important today. The management of the river and its watershed is overseen by the Sabine River Authority of Texas. Juan Nichols of Wood County served on the board for many years, and also Tom Pegues. Today, the son of Tom Pegues, Tommy Pegues, is the manager of the Sabine River Authority and oversees the Lake Fork Watershed.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
