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Pisgah Ridge, known locally as "The Ridge" or "Pizgy Ridge," is an outcropping that begins at the northern extremity of the Tehuacana Hills about 12 miles south of Corsicana near the confluence of Richland and Pin Oak creeks. The peak of the limestone ridge, named for the biblical Mount Pisgah, was recorded at the altitude of 561 feet above sea level, but a landowner in the 1950s leveled it, reducing its elevation. The ridge contains many caves, but because of the soft limestone, most are greatly eroded. The two area creeks provide a natural supply of fish and mussels, and that coupled with the presence of game attracted settlers for centuries. In 1830, Cherokees reportedly burned a village south of the ridge that had been occupied by both Tonkawa and Tawakoni tribes. Within several years, settlers of European descent began arriving. Around 1850, a stagecoach inn near Richland Crossing, on the northern end of the ridge, served travelers. The Springfield Road traversed Navarro County across the ridge, and in addition to the stagecoach inn, pockets of settlers created communities in the area. Of the four settlements that developed along the ridge, Richland Crossing was the northernmost, followed by Mt. Pisgah, Mt. Nebo and Rushing. As more settlers came to the area, it gained a reputation for lawlessness, in part because of a feud between the Love and Anderson families, as well as an association with outlaw John Wesley Hardin. The railroad bypassed the area in the 1870s, and the new settlement of Richland drew residents away from the early Pisgah Ridge communities. Today, the ridge is a point of geological and historical interest. (2006) |
