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Cherokee County Courthouse, built in 1941, in East Texas town of Rusk
Cloaked in deep, green woodlands of towering pines, East Texas air just breathes a little differently. It smells of earth and moss, of sun-warmed resin and campfire tales. Oaks, elms, and dogwoods add undertones to the untamed wilds and rolling prairies — and in the heart of it all lies Rusk. Like many of the streets in downtown Fort Worth, Rusk was named after a hero of the Texas Revolution, Thomas Jefferson Rusk (we once had a Rusk Street, which was part of Hells Half Acre — but its reputation was so sordid and scandalous that it was rebranded as Commerce Street).
The Pineywoods surrounding Rusk were home to the Caddo people for over 1,000 years, and you can explore their legacy at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site (20 minutes south of town). After a tornado destroyed much of the site in 2019, it reopened last year with a new $2.4 million visitor center. Twenty
members of the Caddo Nation helped with the project, including five women who raised a new grass house (construction work in Caddo culture was traditionally performed by females). The Caddo built ceremonial mounds, wove intricate baskets, and gave us the name Texas from their word Taysha (friend), spelled by the Spanish as Tejas. Spaniards also left their mark on the area, establishing the first mission in East Texas at today’s Mission Tejas State Park. The structure is long gone, but you can still walk on a mile-long section of El Camino Real de Texas — the Royal Road — from the 1690s. Nearby is the Rice Family Log Home, a replica of an early-1800s pioneer cabin that later served as a stagecoach inn.
The park is chock-full of history, although many people come simply to walk through the thickets of loblolly pine trees alongside babbling creeks.Rusk also has a scenic stroll, just two blocks from the courthouse square: a 546-foot-long footbridge in tranquil, leafy surroundings. Built in 1861 to facilitate rainy-season passage (and redone many times since), it’s the longest wooden footbridge in the country. Rusk’s most famous route, however, is found three miles west at the Texas State Railroad Depot. Now a popular tourist train with vintage cars and antique steam engines, it operates a Turntable Run from Rusk through the forest to Maydelle.
Most excursions, however, depart 30 minutes away in Palestine, such as the wildly popular Polar Express starting in mid-November. Wear your pajamas, sip lukewarm hot cocoa, and sing “Jingle Bells” at the top of your lungs. Long before it hauled holiday revelers, the railroad transported timber, cotton, and iron ore. And for a moment in time, the neighboring city of New Birmingham was set to become a major industrial area dubbed the “Iron Queen of the Southwest.” Situated two miles east of Rusk, New Birmingham was established in 1889 and soon began producing 50 tons of iron daily. Millionaires stayed at the fabulous three-story Southern Hotel in the town, which also boasted bottling works, schools, churches, a train depot, and a power plant. But then the 1893 depression hit, and investors pulled out. The ironworks plant closed, and by mid-1893, virtually all the residents had moved away. Only four years after its birth, the “Iron Queen” was declared dead. All that’s left of the boomtown today is a single blast furnace that’s slowly decaying in the pine-scented forest outside Rusk, just another passerby in a long line of Caddo, Spaniards, ironworkers, and travelers like you.
Explore Rusk
Caddo Nation grass house
Savor: Do you savor onion wine … or do you try it out of morbid curiosity? Either way, Maydelle Country Wines brings on the bold with fruit-focused flavors like lemon and ghost pepper-pear. For something more substantial, All Star Bar-B-Q serves up all your slow-smoked favorites plus sloppy Joes and an intriguing rib sandwich (no bones about it). The joint is plastered with Houston Astros regalia and pics of high school baseball teams. If you’re looking for a soy latte, head to the square where The Daily Grind whips up specialty drinks, classic sammies, and treats like peanut butter truffle brownies.
Shop: The Daily Grind is also the place to buy raw and creamed honey from Bulah’s Best Farm, a local apiary that also produces herbal tinctures, propolis remedies, and bee venom facial cream. If you’re really into it, call to schedule a tour of the beehives and elderberry orchard at the family-owned farm. Back at the square, hit Jenny’s Salon & Mercantile for playful gifts like sweet-smelling Tyler Candles. Keep an eye out for special vendor events, like the annual Fair on the Square in May and Reklaw Trade Days, held in nearby Reklaw on second Saturdays from March through December.
Enjoy: Rusk’s diminutive downtown kicks into gear around the holidays, hosting Hometown Christmas on Nov. 29 with local performances and vendors. Catch a play at Cherokee Civic Theatre, which presents “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” on the first two weekends of December. Browse a copy of Rusk’s Cherokeean Herald, Texas’ oldest weekly newspaper (around since 1848). Outside of town, go horseback riding at Train Robber Ranch and visit Jim Hogg Historical Park to see the restored birthplace of Texas’ fight-the-power populist governor.
Snooze: Rusk’s overnight options, while limited, are often nestled in nature. Most stays are short-term rentals on Airbnb and Vrbo, where you’ll find wooded retreats for indoor/outdoor living with wraparound decks, fire pits under the stars, and stocked ponds with fishing boats. South of town, you can book a 150-year-old dog trot-style cabin with a swimming pool and pot-bellied pigs to pet — it’s a working ranch with cattle, horses, and chickens. So is Beans Creek Ranch, where guests get up close and personal with longhorn cattle. Pick up fresh beef and souvenir horns to take home, or even a steer.
How to Get There: Drive southwest from Fort Worth on Highway 287 for about 140 miles, all the way to Palestine (you’ll merge with Interstate 45 for a bit between Ennis and Corsicana). At Palestine, turn left onto TX 256 for 4 miles, then turn left again onto US-84 E/E Park Ave. Follow US-84 to Rusk, 29 miles ahead. The entire trip takes around three hours.
