Red Bluff

Red Bluff (Redbluff) overlooked the east bank of the Navidad River eleven miles southeast of Edna in Jackson County. Before the arrival of European settlers, Karankawa Indians camped on the elevated ground above the river, where they were safe from floodwaters and enemies. As early as 1690 Manuel José de Cárdenas y Magaña explored the Red Bluff area. In the 1820s Sylvanus Hatch, accompanied by a few Blacks and an Indian guide, reconnoitered the area; Hatch was probably the first American to do so. In October 1830 Patrick Scott, an Irish settler, obtained a Mexican land grant in the Red Bluff vicinity. Scott died in 1835, leaving his lands to his children. In November 1830 American colonist Jesse White received the second grant in the area. White died in 1842, apparently without developing his land.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.