Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
“US 281 Bridge at the Brazos River refers to two bridges located south of Mineral Wells, Texas. Route 281 (US 281) across the Brazos River.”
Wikipedia article US 281 Bridge at the Brazos River, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 11 National Register listings published here for Palo Pinto County · listed in 1996 · category: Structure.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 200 fires within 5 miles of US 281 Bridge at the Brazos River between 2005 and 2020, burning about 2,082 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 85 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 56 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Natural | 5 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 100 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 8 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 129 FIRE |
| 8 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 1307 FM 129 |
| 7 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | TILLMAN FIRE 16-195 |
| 6 September 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | DOBBS VALLEY FIRE #1 |
| 5 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 5 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 30 September 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | WALKER LANE |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of US 281 Bridge at the Brazos River: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texoline Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Santo, the town this property stands in, in 39 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 16 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 5 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2016 | Flood | Santo | $100,000 | Several roads across the southern portions of the county remained closed due to flooding. Areas affected included Mingus, Strawn, Gordon, and other areas along Palo Pinto Creek. The flooding continued into June 1st. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | $20,000 | Very strong inbound winds into a tornadic supercell produced widespread tree damage along FM 2201 and into Santo. A light pole at the athletic field was also bent, and some minor roof damage was also observed in Santo. |
| April 2015 | Flash Flood | Santo | $20,000 | Water was reported over several roads in and around Santo; including FM 2201. Flooding was also reported on FM 2692 going towards Gordon. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Santo | $20,000 | Ping pong ball sized hail was reported 5 miles east of Gordon near Interstate 20. |
| April 2016 | Flood | Santo | $10,000 | Several roads remained flooded after up to 6 inches of rain fell across the county. Most of the flooding was near creeks and streams and in low lying areas. Flooding continued on Highway 281 near Mineral Wells, and one high water rescue was reported on FM 4 south of Lone Camp in a low water crossing. |
| April 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Santo | $10,000 | The Erath County tornado continued into Palo Pinto County. Tree and sporadic roof damage occurred across FM 2603 to near the intersection of FM 4 and Highway 281 in southeastern Palo Pinto County. This tornado was rated an EF-0 with maximum winds between 80 and 85 MPH. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Santo | $7,000 | Golf ball sized hail was reported near I-20 at mile marker 384. |
| March 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | $5,000 | Emergency management reported minor roof and siding damage to a single family residence in the city of Santo. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | $5,000 | A 2 foot diameter oak tree was blown down at the stadium and numerous 8 to 10 inch diameter limbs broken. Light poles at the stadium were also blown down. |
| February 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | $5,000 | A trailer was heavily damaged by high thunderstorm winds. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | $5,000 | Power lines and trees were blown down, and minor roof damage occurred due to thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Santo | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Santo | $1,000 | Flash flooding was reported on Blue Flat Road just west of the Interstate 20 Santo exit. |
| March 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Santo | $1,000 | Some cattle feeders were damaged by a brief tornado touchdown. |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | $500 | Power lines were blown down at the intersection of Highway 281 and Highway 4. |
| March 2025 | Hail | Santo | - | Social media photo showed half dollar sized hail 3 miles north of Santo. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Santo | - | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| May 2025 | Tornado (EF0) | Santo | - | Storm chaser and spotter videos of a rapidly cyclic, multi-vortex tornado was confirmed by scattered tree damage along a path that stretched from Panama Road southwest of Santo to FM 4 south of Santo. For the most part, each of the vortices were relatively shorted-lived, lasting from just a few seconds to up to 30 seconds. At one point, two vortices near FM 4 appeared to nearly rotate around each other before they dissipated. Based on the observed tree damage, this tornado was rated an EF-0 multi-vortex tornado with maximum estimated winds of 80 mph. |
| May 2025 | Tornado (EFU) | Santo | - | Right after the multi-vortex tornado south of Santo, chaser videos showed an additional, larger tornado forming east of FM 4. Damage from this tornado was not found. This tornado will be rated an EF-Unknown, and its location is estimated based on radar and video. |
| March 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | - | The fire chief in Santo, TX reported several 8 to 10 inch tree limbs down by the high school gym on Bowie Street. |
| December 2022 | Tornado (EF1) | Santo | - | An EF-1 tornado affected southeastern Palo Pinto County near Santo. The tornado touched down near the intersection of South Bosley Road and Single Oak Lane where tree damage and minor roof damage was noted. The tornado then moved northeast, crossing Highway 281 towards Live Oak Road where it produced damage to numerous outbuildings, including the complete destruction of a small home gym. The tornado lifted east of Live Oak Road. Maximum estimated winds were 110 MPH. |
| May 2019 | Tornado (EFU) | Santo | - | A brief tornado occurred north of Lipan, TX and southeast of Santo, TX. Vegetation debris was observed in real-time. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Santo | - | Large hail reported on the east side of Lake Palo Pinto. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Santo | - | A public report estimated quarter-sized hail approximately 5 miles south of Santo, TX. |
| June 2016 | Flood | Santo | - | Several roads across the southern portions of the county remained closed due to flooding that began on May 31st. Areas affected included Mingus, Strawn, Gordon, and other areas along Palo Pinto Creek. House water rescues along the creek were still ongoing on the morning of June 1st. |
| March 2016 | Flood | Santo | - | Palo Pinto County Sheriff's Department reported that many roads remained closed in the southern and eastern portions of the county. |
| March 2013 | Hail | Santo | - | Nickel sized hail was reported approximately 3 miles west of the intersection of I-20 and U.S. Highway 281. |
| March 2013 | Hail | Santo | - | Nickel sized hail was reported near the intersection of FM 4 and FM129. |
| January 2012 | Flood | Santo | - | A trained spotter reported than a foot of water was flowing over FM 4 at Buck Creek. This location is in the far southern portion of the county, south of Santo. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Santo | - | Ping pong ball size hail fell 2 miles west of Lipan. |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | - | A highway sign was blown down at the intersection of Interstate 20 and Highway 4. |
| May 1995 | Hail | Santo | - | Two men had to be rescued after driving into high water where Farm to Market Road 4 crossed a rain swollen creek. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Santo | - | no account filed |
| March 2003 | Hail | Santo | - | no account filed |
| October 1998 | Hail | Santo | - | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Hail | Santo | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Santo | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Hail | Santo | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 96001126 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Palo Pinto County | All 11 listed properties in this county. |
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