Driving Through Deadwood, Texas

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I was driving to a small town of Keatchie, LA to visit a friend South of Shreveport, Louisiana. I found on my Texas road map the small community of Deadwood, Texas not far out of the way to my destination in Louisiana and decided to see Deadwood without Wild Bill Hickok.

I drove North on US Hwy 59 and about three miles South of Carthage where I turned East on Farm Road 2517. I drove East about ten miles and passed over the Sabine River. After about five more miles I got to the community of Deadwood, Texas at the intersection of FR 2517 and FR 31. I stopped there at an abandoned parking lot cuz I saw no trace of Deadwood at the highway intersection.

I drove a short distance South on FR 31 and found the Deadwood Fire Station. A little South of the station I saw a Deadwood sign in a pasture. Still a mile further South I got to the intersection of Panola County 445 where I saw the signs for Deadwood United Methodist Church and the Deadwood Land & Cattle company. I could not see the Methodist Church, and did not drive the mile on Panola County 445 to see the Land & Cattle company.

The Deadwood area was first settled in 1837 by Adam LaGrone with his family on about 10,000 acres on a previous Mexican land grant. (To this day the LaGrone family still owns most of this immediate area property, and is active in Panola County politics.) In about 1882 Deadwood got a Post Office. Deadwood had two churches: Deadwood Methodist Church and Deadwood Pentecostal Church. (I found neither church, but only the sign for Deadwood United Methodist Church.)

In 1885 Deadwood had a population of about 50 people, two churches, a school, and a steam cotton gin. A hotel was built in 1900, but went out of business in a few years. The Deadwood Post Office closed in 1917. After World War 2 the Deadwood community school closed and was consolidated with Carthage Independent School District; and all the Deadwood businesses were closed. After the school closed Deadwood became a dispersed rural community, with a population of about one hundred people.

I wanted to spend time with my friend in Keatchie, so I returned North to FR 2517 and turned East to the Louisiana State Line. In Louisiana, that Texas Farm Road changed to LA hwy 172 East to Keatchie. There is not much to see there, and my friend lives two miles South of town. The railroad tracks by Keatchie is part of the old Houston East West Texas Railroad (1880s) from Houston to Shreveport, LA; still in use today.

completed

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Photos

US Hwy 59 South of Carthage
Deadwood sign
East on FR 2517

FR 2517
(not my turn)

FR 2517
Sabine River (upriver)

FR 2517
Sabine River (downriver)

FR 2517 & FM 31
Deadwood, Texas
from abandoned parking lot

Deadwood Fire Station
South on FM 31

pasture with Deadwood sign
South on FM 31

Deadwood Methodist Church & Deadwood Land & Cattle Co signs
South on FM 31
at Panola County 445

Deadwood church & Deadwood Cattle sign
South on FM 31
at Panola County 445

Louisiana State Line sign
FR 2517

Keachi, LA
railroad near friends house