Editing Salado, Texas (section)

==History==
Archaeological evidence of a [[Paleolithic]] Native American settlement dating back about 15,500 years, the [[Buttermilk Creek Complex]], has been unearthed in Salado.

The first record of white settlers in the area occurred in 1834, but by 1836, the pioneer settlers abandoned the area due to frequent Indian attacks and the invasion by General [[Antonio López de Santa Anna|Santa Anna]] and the Mexican Army.<ref>[http://www.saladohistoricalsociety.org/history.asp/ History of Salado]</ref> The first permanent Anglo-American settler at Salado was Archibald Willingham in 1850. In 1852, the Salado Post Office was established. In 1859, the Salado College Joint Stock Company was created by Col. [[Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson]], who donated 320 acres north and south of the springs to be broken into lots and form the village of Salado, with the proceeds of the sale going to form [[Salado College]]. The college operated from 1860 to 1885 and 1895 to 1913; the former college building was occupied by the Thomas Arnold High School.

From 1866 to 1885, the famous [[Chisholm Trail]] cattle drives passed through this area, with the Stagecoach Inn being one of the stops. In 1867, Salado incorporated to build a bridge across Salado Creek. By 1884, Salado had a population of 900, seven churches, 14 stores, two hotels, two blacksmiths, and three cotton gins. However, after the railroads bypassed Salado to the north and south, trade moved away from the town and the population began to dwindle, hitting 400 by 1914 and down to 200 by 1950.<ref>[http://www.salado.com/salado-history.cfm/ Salado History]</ref><ref>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hls05 Salado, TX THSA]</ref>

The town is home to the [[Stagecoach Inn (Texas)|Stagecoach Inn]], the oldest continuously running hotel in Texas.

Nineteen Salado locations are listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]], including the [[George Washington Baines House]].
<gallery class="center">
File:NortonOrgain1.jpg|Norton-Orgain house
File:Anderson house 2008.jpg|Anderson house
File:Fowler house salado 2008.jpg|Fowler house
File:Tyler house salado 2008.jpg|Tyler house
File:DavisHouse1.JPG|Davis house
File:Robert halley house 2008.jpg|Halley house
</gallery>