Belmont L. Shields founded the Cross Plains Review in April 1909, when the town was sited on Turkey Creek. He wanted the newspaper established before the railroad came to town, which occurred when the Texas central arrived in 1912 and most businesses and homes moved one mile to the new townsite. After publishing for five years, shields sold the paper to L. P. Henslee, who in 1921 sold the business to three local merchants. The Review has been an important resource for citizens and a unique chronicle, recording community development and such events as the death of writer Robert E. Howard, the 2005 wildfires, and the town’s 100th anniversary. As the oldest business in cross plains, the Review is intertwined with the history of the community.