Three Rivers: Oil Refinery at the River Junction

Three Rivers sits at a geographic fact: just to the north, the Atascosa River joins the Frio, and just to the south, the Frio meets the Nueces. The town was founded July fourth, nineteen thirteen by Charles Tips of San Antonio, who platted lots for sale at a grand opening celebration. It was originally chartered as Hamiltonburg, but since mail kept going to Hamilton, Texas by mistake, residents petitioned for a new name.

Three Rivers was approved in nineteen fourteen, honoring its location. When natural gas was discovered nearby in nineteen twenty, and oil followed in the surrounding county, Three Rivers became the main trading center for the Calliham oil field. A small refinery grew over decades into the Diamond Shamrock Refinery, a major employer in Live Oak County.