Preston, Texas | |
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Census-designated place | |
Nickname(s): Preston Bend | |
Coordinates: 33°53′1.28″N 96°38′1.23″W / 33.8836889°N 96.6336750°WCoordinates: 33°53′1.28″N 96°38′1.23″W / 33.8836889°N 96.6336750°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Texas |
County | Grayson |
Settled | 1836 |
Founded by |
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Area | |
• Total | 8.1 sq mi (21.1 km2) |
• Land | 5.1 sq mi (13.1 km2) |
• Water | 3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2) |
Elevation | 708 ft (216 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 2,096 |
• Density | 416/sq mi (160.6/km2) |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
FIPS code | 48-59420 |
GNIS feature ID | 1380395 |
Preston, also known as Preston Bend, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located on the Red River in Grayson County, Texas, United States. It grew in the 19th century at the intersection of several military and trade roads and was an important crossing on the Shawnee cattle trail. Preston lost prominence after the MK&T railroad passed the town to the east, leading to a decline in traveler and cattle drive traffic. Much of its former town site is submerged beneath the waters of Lake Texoma. Its population was 2,096 as of the 2010 census.
Before European settlement the general area of Preston had been occupied by the Caddo people, with the Comanche and Kiowa farther to the west. One of the first American settlers in the area was John Hart, who cultivated land at the bend in the Red River possibly before 1826. He left the area just after 1830 after being attacked by Indians during a trapping expedition on the Washita River.
During the 1830s the United States relocated the Five Civilized Tribes from the Southeastern United States to the Indian Territory, on the north side of the Red River. As the first official United States expedition to the area, the Dodge-Leavenworth Expedition explored the region in 1834. Above Preston on the Red River Leavenworth Camp, situated just west of the mouth of the Washita River, was a base for this expedition. George Catlin made some of his famous Indian paintings from this camp.
In the fall of 1838 John Hart returned to the Washita Bend area with two partners. They cleared and fenced 17 acres (69,000 m2) and built three cabins. In 1838 the partnership dissolved and Hart took sole possession of the land. He leased the land to a tenant.