DISCOVER FRISCO
A Map Guide to Historic Sites of Frisco, Texas
Welcome to Frisco, Texas, a town that got its start from hardy pioneers who helped settle one of America’s newest states: Texas, admitted to the Union in 1846.
Most families who came to the north Texas prairie followed the Preston Trail (today’s Preston Road), a road that began as an Indian footpath from the Red River south to Austin. Later, the road was known as the Shawnee Trail upon which millions of longhorn cattle were driven to markets in the north. The trail followed a high ridge of white rock that provided a dry path for the cattle. Today, drivers at the intersection of Main Street and Preston Road can identify part of the ridge if they look northeast to the Brinkman Ranch. A Texas State Historic Marker about the Shawnee Trail is located at Collin College Campus.
Many small communities sprang up in the Frisco area in the mid to late 1800s – Erudia, Foncine, Hawkins, Little Elm, Lebanon, Rock Hill – to name a few. They served a population of farmers and ranchers who made certain there were schools and churches for their families to attend. However, most of these villages experienced a similar fate around the turn of the nineteenth century when the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway Company laid tracks through north central Texas.
The railroad company determined that current day Frisco was the perfect location for its track since rainwater running off Preston Ridge would help fill the man-made lake that serviced the steam engine. People from other communities moved their businesses and homes to be near the railroad, and as surrounding villages died, the town of Frisco was born. The first train steamed into Frisco in 1902. A steam locomotive and a replica of the original Frisco Depot can be see at the Frisco Heritage Center.
Frisco remained an agricultural center for decades, boasting 5 cotton gins at one time. The population remained below 2,000 residents until a growth spurt in the 1980s portended of what was to come. By 1990, Frisco’s location, its quality of life and visionary leadership contributed to its becoming the fastest growing city in the nation with a population of about 120,000 in 2011.
The Heritage Association of Frisco, Inc., established in 1998, has identified and marked 32 historic sites in and around Frisco. While not all sites are still in existence today (see the orange asterisk icon), many can be visited with the use of this map. We urge you to respect private property while enjoying a drive or a walk through Frisco’s history.
A printed map with all site descriptions can be purchased in the Frisco Heritage Center museum gift shop.
Key to Discovery:
To find more information and photos, click on a site name in the key or on its number on the map.
11. 
Historic townsite boundary
The Historic Sites map and all its contents including photographs, graphics and text is the property of the Heritage Association of Frisco, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the Heritage Association. For more information call 972‐292-5657.