The first mail to the town was delivered by horseback from Benton City; later, it arrived by stagecoach from San Antonio.

With the rise in construction, high-cost building material from out of town became impractical and led to the establishment of a cypress shingle mill, brick factory, and lime kiln in Frio City.

In 1872, the town started delivering its own mail with the establishment of a post office in Frio City with James McClain Elledge at its helm.

In 1877, the courthouse burned down and was replaced by a two-story, native-stone building, funded in part by wealthy local resident W.J.

In the mid-1870s, Indian attacks in and around Frio City caused the Texas Rangers to be called in, and many frontier residents sought shelter in town.

Evangelists John Wesley DeVilbiss and Andrew Jackson Potter preached in the area and the Rio Grande Baptist Association was organized in Frio City in 1880.

[2] With the establishment of the town of Pearsall along the rail route, people began to leave Frio City.