Editing Presidio, Texas (section)

==History==
The junction of the [[Rio Conchos]] and [[Rio Grande]] at Presidio was settled thousands of years ago by hunting and gathering peoples. By 1200 CE, the local Native Americans had adopted agriculture and lived in small, closely knit, [[La Junta Indians]] settlements, which the Spaniards later called ''[[pueblo]]s''.<ref>Riley, Carroll L. ''The Frontier People: The Greater Southwest in the Protohistoric Period''. Albuquerque: U of NM Press, 1987, pp. 285–310</ref>

The first Spaniards came to Presidio in 1535. [[Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca]] and his three companions stopped at the Native American pueblo, placed a cross on the mountainside, and called the village {{Langx|es|La Junta de las Cruces|label=none}}. On December 10, 1582, [[Antonio de Espejo]] and his company arrived at the site and named the pueblo {{Langx|es|San Juan Evangelista|label=none}}. By 1681, the area of Presidio was known as {{Langx|es|La Junta de los Ríos|lit=The Junction of the Rivers|label=none}}. Five [[Jumanos]] towns were located along the Rio Grande to the north of the junction, consisting largely of permanent houses.<ref>Gary Clayton Anderson, ''The Indian Southwest, 1580–1830: Ethnogenesis and Reinvention'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999), p. 21</ref> In 1683, [[Juan Sabeata]], the chief of the Jumanos, reported having seen a fiery cross on the mountain at Presidio and requested that a mission be established at La Junta.  The settlement in 1684 became known as {{Langx|es|La Navidad en Las Cruces|label=none}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bmj07| title=Jumanos Indians| last=Hickerson| first=Nancy P.| date=2010-06-15| website=tshaonline.org| language=en| access-date= 2017-12-09}}</ref> The missions La Navidad en las Cruces, San Francisco de los Julimes, San Antonio de los Puliques, Apostol Santiago, and Santa María de la Redonda may have been established on the Texas side of the Rio Grande at La Junta.<ref>María Eva Flores, C.D.P., and Julia Cauble Smith, "La Junta de Los Rios", [https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ryl01 Handbook of Texas Online] accessed April 28, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.</ref>

Around 1760, a penal colony and military garrison of 60 men were established near Presidio. In 1830, the name of the area around Presidio was changed from {{Langx|es|La Junta de los Rios|label=none}} to {{Langx|es|Presidio del Norte|label=none}}. White American settlers came to Presidio in 1848 after the [[Mexican–American War|Mexican War]]. Among them was John Spencer, who operated a horse ranch on the United States side of the Rio Grande near Presidio. Ben Leaton and [[Milton Faver]], former scalp hunters for the Mexican government, built private forts in the area.

In 1790, the Spanish signed a peace agreement with the [[Lipan Apache]], creating El Barrio del Cementerio de Los Lipanes, now located downtown.

In 1849, a [[Comanche]] raid almost destroyed Presidio, and in 1850, Indians drove off most of the cattle in town. A post office was established at Presidio in 1868, and the first public school was opened in 1887.<ref>Suzanne Campbell of [[Angelo State University]], San Angelo, "George B. Jackson, Black (or African-American) Businessman, Rancher, and Entrepreneur", [[West Texas Historical Association]], annual meeting, [[Lubbock, Texas]], April 2, 2011</ref>

During the Mexican Revolution, General [[Pancho Villa]] often used [[Ojinaga]] as his headquarters for operations and visited Presidio on numerous occasions.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} As a result of Pancho Villa's force's raid and capture of Ojinaga on January 10, 1914, many Mexican army troops and civilians fled to Presidio seeking safe-haven.  U.S. forces detained 2,000 Mexican refugees in Presidio, eventually marching them north 60 miles to Camp Marfa.  The refugees would later be sent by train to Ft. Bliss (El Paso).

In 1930, the [[Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway]] reached Presidio and the [[Presidio–Ojinaga International Rail Bridge]] was built. The population grew from 96 in 1925 to 1,671 in 1988, but the number of businesses declined from 70 in 1933 to 22 in 1988. At the end of 1988, Presidio experienced a population boom, due in part to previously undocumented immigrants enrolled in the amnesty program. The population in 1990 was 3,422. Despite Presidio having been occupied continuously since ancient times, the community was finally incorporated in 1980, with Herb Myers elected as Presidio's first mayor.

The town is featured in the 1959 movie ''[[Rio Bravo (film)|Rio Bravo]]'' and the 1964 movie ''[[Rio Conchos (film)|Rio Conchos]].''{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In 1986, the Texas Department of Transportation opened a two-lane bridge, connecting Presidio and Ojinaga, the [[Presidio–Ojinaga International Bridge]].  By 2019, a second span will be constructed, with the original bridge being refurbished.{{Needs update|date=August 2024}}  The increased bridge capacity is projected to meet higher traffic, mainly commercial and agricultural in nature.

As of 2020, Presidio's local economy is based largely upon employment at [[Presidio Independent School District]], United States Customs and Border Protection, and local retail businesses.

In 2010, Presidio built the world's largest [[sodium-sulfur battery]] to provide power when the city's lone line to the [[Electric power transmission|United States power grid]] goes down.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-04/texas-town-turns-monster-battery-backup-power|title = Texas Town Installs a Monster Battery for Backup Power|date = 18 March 2019}}</ref>