The East Texas Weekend Preview — For thousands of years, this giant rock formation has greeted visitors with a truly towering spectacle.
Cutting straight through Henderson County, this large vein of iron stone stretches to many pastures throughout the area.
This specific crag you see here is known as Melton Rock.
The history and lore of this destination is quite robust, featuring the likes of Native American tribes that carved into the rock, a possible run-in with the infamous crime duo, Bonnie & Clyde, and recognition by Texas’ first president, Sam Houston.
In 1880 the land and rock would be purchased by pioneer, John Melton. As time went on, descendent John Neal Justice would come to own the deed. During his era, and despite the land being private, many locals would frequently head up the hill to picnic atop the rock and enjoy the breathtaking views. The spot became legendary.
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However, as most good things tend to go, Melton Rock would be subject to lots vandalism in the form of dumping and graffiti by those who paid no mind to the beauty of this place. Thus, the site become somewhat of an eyesore.
By 1995, Melton Rock would be sold to Steve and Darla Hoops. Over the recent decades of cleaning up hundreds of pounds of trash and blasting tags off the walls of the boulder, this destination has finally been restored to its former glory.
While the ranch is still private property, the Hoops family does indeed welcome guests to come and admire this local wonder. Although there is no official tour to schedule, you can simply just ask to them to go on up. We ended up just dropping off a little letter expressing our interesting, plus our contact info. So, we suggest going that route if you want to check out Melton Rock for yourself.
With that being said, there is actually another rock formation that can be admired right from the road! Literally just a few yards south of the ranch’s entrance, there lies Needle Eye Rock. A part of the same vein as Melton, Needle Eye shows off with a crazy collision of two giant boulders that creates a shape that looks like the eye of a needle. Definitely a cool, roadside photo op.
This weekend, embark on a geological adventure and behold the glory of this mountainous marvel.
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Melton and Needle Eye Rock can be found at: 13575-13081 Co Rd 2804, Eustace, TX 75124
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