Isham Lamb reported in the Cisco American, February 9, 1929, that Red Gap was the first post office in western Eastland County, one and one-half miles west of the railroad crossing that became the town of Cisco in 1881. Red Gap had begun in 1877, a tent city when the railroad came through a gap of red hills, but it had begun largely because its location was near crossroads of several early trails and roads.
“There was an old government highway leading this part of the country that had been traveled before the Civil War. It was known as the Salt Trail or Phantom Hill Road. Starting in South Texas, its route was by Belton, in Bell County, thence to old Fort Gates, five miles southeast of the present site of Gatesville, and crossed the Leon River 12 miles below Gatesville, Coryell County, Fort Gates being on the east side of the river. The government road then ran west of Gatesville on the divide between the Leon and Cow House Creek, west of Hamilton, and near the Hoover Knobs, a noted landmark in those days. Crossing the Leon at old Cora, in Comanche County, thence by Sipe Springs. Crossing the Sabanno, the road following the Hunting Shirt Branch and went over the sand roughs near where Carbon is now situated. Passing Dead Horse at its mouth on the Leon River, the road ran near the Word School house, and crossed the Leon near the C. T. Bacon farm. Passing about two miles west of Cisco, it crossed Sandy where the old Putnam Road was before the present highway was built, and crossed Battle Creek at the old Shaw Ranch west of Dothan. It was the oldest government road in this part of the country.”
“The Belle Plain Road ran from Eastland over the ground where Cisco is located, crossed the branch just southwest of the location of the Hide House, thence the Baptist and Presbyterian churches, through Red Gap, thence crossing Sandy at the Phantom Hill Road, which it followed to near Dothan. There was another road that branched off the Phantom Hill Road at or near the Oakwood Cemetery, that led to Fort Griffin, Shackelford County. Thus it will be seen that Red Gap was a rather central for travel through this section.”
