Formed as a channel of the meandering Trinity River, Old River rises in southwestern Liberty County and flows southeast to rejoin the Trinity in northwestern Chambers County. During the 1820s and 1830s it stood at the center of early settlement in the area. Among the first pioneers to migrate there were Robert and Eleanor (Dorsett) Wiseman, who settled on nearby land grants in 1827. Fertile soil for farming and abundant grassland for raising cattle made the Old River area an important early agricultural center of southeast Texas. Goods from the community, including animal skins, timber, and charcoal, were shipped to market in Galveston. As population increased, commercial activity grew, with Dr. James P. Alford pioneering the area's shipping and business trade with Galveston, helping lead to the development of shipbuilding firms such as that of Capt. William Icet. Other significant businesses included the brick kiln of P. Almeras and river ferry operations. Early residents of Old River established patterns of residential and industrial growth that remain evident today, and descendants of the pioneer southeast Texas settlers still live in the area.