Red River
History -- Fact or Fiction

Texas Red was an outlaw that roamed the mountains and plains of North and West Texas around the middle of the nineteenth century. Remember, most of New Mexico and the better part of Colorado used to belong to Texas. He was immortalized in the hit song "Big Iron" by Marty Robbins. Texas Red loved the good things in life and it's been said that he once traded all the loot from a train robbery for a good steak and bottle of whiskey.

Texas Red was also the nickname of the man who built the first building that became Texas Reds Steakhouse in Red River, NM. John Richard Gill, an entrepreneur, western actor and stuntman, rodeo rider and raconteur had his pick-up break down on him in Red River while enroute to a rodeo in Wyoming. Not only was there no one to fix his truck in this little mountain village back in the 50's, but even if there was, he couldn't have paid for it.

So he stuck around and became a legend. He had always hoped Red River would be the site for a John Wayne movie so he built his office and home on Main Street to look like an old west store front. John Gill never did get to see his building in a western but he did appear in "The Alamo" with John Wayne, along with many other western movies filmed in New Mexico and west Texas.

His somewhat more industrious brother and his family turned the historic looking building into a legend itself, Texas Reds Steakhouse. For over thirty years Texas Reds has been the premier place to enjoy fine food and good fun in Red River.

We appreciate you stoppin' by.