Ganado
Ranching roots, rice-country grit, and Lake Texana just down the road. A small town on the prairie between Houston and Victoria.
From Mustang Settlement to Ganado
Long before the rice elevators rose over town, this stretch of coastal prairie was cattle country. The name changed, the crops changed, but the people stayed.
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Early Days
The area is known as Mustang Settlement, after nearby Mustang Creek, and ranchers run cattle across the open prairie.
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1882
The New York, Texas & Mexican Railway comes through. A railroad official names the stop Ganado, Spanish for “herd,” a nod to the cattle that came before. The depot follows the same year.
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1891–92
Scandinavian immigrants settle the area and Ganado becomes a boomtown.
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1909
Main street is busy, with some sixty businesses and the town's first bank serving farmers and ranchers.
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1914
A rice mill and storage facilities, a school district, and a weekly newspaper. Rice is king, and the elevators become the town's skyline.
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1950s
Ganado is chosen as the first pilot community for the Little School of the 400, an early-childhood English program that later helped inspire Head Start.
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Today
A farm, oil, and shipping center that still keeps its small-town character, home of the Ganado Indians.
Things to See & Do
Whether you're passing through on 59 or staying the weekend, there's more here than you'd expect.
Lake Texana
10,000 acres and 125 miles of shoreline. Bass, crappie, and catfish, plus camping, kayaking, and trails. The Mustang Creek boat ramp is just south of town on TX 172.
Birding
The oak bottomlands along the Navidad and Lavaca rivers are stops on the Texana birding loop. Watch for herons, egrets, whistling ducks, and purple gallinules.
Devers Creek Park
Nature trails, playgrounds, fishing, ball fields, and a covered pavilion. It's the go-to spot for a family barbecue.
Historic Downtown
Stroll past the Ganado Theatre, historic churches, the KJT Hall, and the American Legion Hall, with local shops along the way.
Live Music
The Rear Window Listening Room is an intimate venue built for really listening to up-and-coming songwriters.
Rice Country
Look up. The old rice elevators still tower over town, a reminder of the crop that built Ganado.
Community Events
Small town, full calendar. Check local listings for this year's dates.
Crawfish Festival
Hosted by the Ganado Fire Department. Bring your appetite.
Fourth of July in the Park
Food, family, and fireworks.
Movies in the Park
Lawn chairs and a big screen under the stars.
Farmers Market
Local produce and homemade goods, held regularly.
Christmas on the Square
Lights, music, and holiday cheer downtown.
New Year's in the Park
Ring in the new year with your neighbors.
Getting Here
Ganado sits right on US Highway 59 in Jackson County, on the Texas coastal prairie, about halfway between Houston and Victoria.
- County
- Jackson County, Texas
- ZIP
- 77962
- City Hall
- 112 East Putnam Avenue
- Highway
- US 59, with TX 172 south to Lake Texana
Nearby
- Edna~10 mi
- El Campo~18 mi
- Port Lavaca~30 mi
- Victoria~32 mi
- Bay City~34 mi
- Houston~90 mi