City of Cisco
City Of Cisco
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<p>Brick building labeled Union Depot, Cisco Texas with cars in front</p>
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<p>City street labeled Avenue D looking north, Cisco, Texas</p>
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<p>Colorized postcard of park entrance with four stone pillars labeled Tourist Park, Cisco, Texas</p>
Cisco
The town of Cisco grew around the intersection of the Texas and Pacific Railway and the Central Texas Railway in the 1880s. The railroads distributed brochures touting Cisco as the “Gate City of the West,” attracting many settlers to town. Benefiting from the 1920 oil boom in Eastland County, Cisco grew to a population of 15,000. Located near the juncture of the T&P Railroad and the Bankhead Highway, the finely‐crafted Mobley building exemplifies the many high‐end lodging establishments that emerged during the period. Cisco also contains many intact brick‐paved streets that harken back to the early years of the Bankhead Highway. Perhaps the best‐known event in Cisco is the infamous and dramatic 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery, where four men led by Marshall Ratliff, disguised as Santa Claus, robbed the First National Bank. With the bank situated on Avenue D, the Bankhead surely served as their getaway route.
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<p>Brick building that says 1916 Mobley Hotel</p>
The Mobley Hotel, 309 Conrad Hilton Blvd.
The Mobley Hotel was hotelier Conrad Hilton’s first foray into the hospitality business. Traveling to Cisco in 1919 to open a bank, Hilton instead purchased the two‐story Mobley Hotel after seeing the line of oil workers waiting for a room and packing its lobby. Hilton’s profits from the hotel soon allowed him to expand his business in Fort Worth and Dallas. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Cisco Chamber of Commerce
309 Conrad Hilton Blvd.
254-442-2537
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