Salmon is an unincorporated community in

Anderson County, Texas Anderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. Located within East Texas, its county seat is Palestine. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Anderson County was 57,922. Anderson County comprises the Palestine micropol ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, it had a population of 20 in 2000. It is located within the

Palestine, Texas Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, mak ...

micropolitan area.

History

Salmon was founded after the nearby town of Elkhart grew out of its incorporated area, taking the name Bryon Switch. The town was renamed Salmon after the postmaster, Meredith D. Salmon, built a post office inside a general store. In 1914, the community comprised three general stores, a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

, and a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

. It had telephone service and a population of 100 that same year. It had numerous population estimates, with 10 residents in both 1925 and 1933, and 100 in 1927 and 1929. It then had 80 occupants in 1939, as well as a church, four businesses, and a few scattered houses. The post office remained open until the mid-1950s so the residents of the Salmon community must receive mail through the postmaster in Elkhart. In 1956, the community's population shrunk to a paltry 25 residents, and no businesses were reported. It did jump back to 100 residents by 1964. It then plunged to 20 in 1970 and remained at that level in 2000. As of 1980, the town comprises a single church, one business, and a few houses. To help preserve the history of the town, a replica post office and general store was built in 2002 by a descendant of Meredith D. Salmon, the community's first postmaster.

Geography

Salmon sits along the

Missouri Pacific The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...

line,

U.S. Highway 287 U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Fort Worth and Ama ...

, and

Texas State Highway 19 State Highway 19 (SH 19) is a state highway in Texas runs from Huntsville to Paris in east Texas. Route description SH 19 begins at an interchange with Interstate 45 in southeast Huntsville. The highway runs through the eastern edge of the ...

, southeast of

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

in southern Anderson County.

Education

The

Elkhart Independent School District Elkhart Independent School District is a public school district based in Elkhart, Texas ( USA). The district is located in southwest Anderson County and extends into northern Houston County. A small portion of the district extends to the cit ...

serves the residents of Salmon.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Anderson County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas