Texas Almanac, 1952-1953 Page: 281
[674] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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Outline of Texas
Not without good reason does Texas today
have more main-line railroad trackage than
any other state. The first great "economic"
realization of the early Anglo-American set-
tlers of Texas was the need for transporta-
tion. Here was a land of tremendous produc-
tion potentiality. An early settler wrote, "It
costs here not more to raise a cow than it
does a chicken" (in the East). But the catch
was that it cost so much to get the cow to
market that the low cost of production was of
little economic significance.
Texans set about unshackling their econ-
omy. At an early date this region became
famous for its stage and freight routes, and
its cattle trails. Optimists if anything, the
early Texans made the most extravagant
claims for the navigability of Texas rivers.
Naturally, early railroad building projects
were -hailed with great public enthusiasm. A
total of 32.153,878 acres from the immense
public domain was allotted to railroad con-
struction. (See "Public Domain," pp. 345-346.)
Texas had a sizable mileage of rail lines be-
fore its isolated system became connected
with that of the remainder of the United
States in 1872.
First Texas Railroad.
The first *railroad actually constructed was
the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Rail-
road, chartered Feb. 11, 1850. It was promoted
and built by Gen. Sidney Sherman. Work was
begun in 1851 at Harrisburg and by August,
1853, it had been extended to Stafford's Point,
a distance of twenty miles. Service was inau-
gurated Sept. 7. During the next two years it
was extended to Richmond on the Brazos and
by 1860 had been extended through Eagle
Lake to Alleytown on the Colorado, a total
length of eighty-one miles. This was the sec-
ond railroad built west of the Mississippi, the
first having been the Pacific Railroad in
Missouri.
Earlier Efforts.
Construction of the first railroad had been
preceded, however, by numerous projects that
failed to materialize. Branch T. Archer and
others sought a charter for their Texas Rail-
road, Navigation and Banking Company almost
immediately upon assembly of the First Con-
gress of the Republic of Texas. It failed to
materialize. Several other railway projects
were chartered, including-the Brazos & Gal-
veston Railroad Company in 1838, the Houston
& Brazos Railroad in 1839 and the Harrisburg
& Brazos in 1841. The latter was promoted by
Andrew Britcoe who was the first to begin
actual construction of a rail line. It was also
the first line proposed to be financed strictly
by private enterprise. Most of the early proj-
ects contemplated either state-owned or state-
subsidized lines. Briscoe did not complete his
undertaking.
After Annexation.
The greater economic security that came to
the state with annexation to the United States
brought a flurry of rail projects, several of
which proposed to use part of the $10,000,000
received b Texas from the United States for
quit-claiming its interest in the eastern half
of New Mexico and portions of Colorado and
other states.
Texas came near having a state-constructed
railroad, but those favoring liberal land grants,
loans and municipal bonds finally prevailed
and by 1856 laws had been passed to provide
for these.
Land Grants to Railroads.
Briefly, land grants to railroads provided
for sixteen sections of state land per mile
alternate sections to be surveyed and allotted
to the permanent school fund. The railroad
lands were to be disposed of, one fourth in
*This sketch is taken principally from "A His-
tory of Texas Railroads,"' by the late S. G. Reed
of Houston.Railroad History
six years and one fourth within each two
years thereafter until all were sold. This law
was repealed in 1873, but re-enacted in 1876
and again repealed in 1882. During these pe-
riods, certificates were issued to forty-three
railroads on 3,627 miles calling for 38,735,360
acres, but the rail lines lost much of this for
various reasons and in the end received only
32,153,878 acres. Few of the roads profited by
these lands as 84 per cent of the acreage was
in West Texas. During the same period the
state gave over 4,000,000 acres for the in
provement of rivers, digging canals and otlt
public improvements. (See "Public Domain,"
pp. 345-346.)
Local Aid for Railroads.
Various counties and cities issued bonds to
the extent of about a million dollars in aid of
various railroads before the law was repealed
in 1874. They were repaid for these, as well
as for subscriptions in money and land, by
the enhancement in values and improved
trade and transportation conditions.
Thirty-eight charters were taken out be-
tween 1846 and 1856 and fourteen more prior
to 1861. Many of these were speculative. Of
these fifty-two only ten were built.
-Texas' Second -Ratlroad.
The Galveston & Red River, chartered MIarch
11, 1848, and begun in 1853, was Texas' second
railroad. Originally promoted by Galveston
men it was taken over by Houston interests
and the name changed to Houston & Texas
Central. By Oct. 1, 1856, twenty-five miles
had been completed from Houston to Cypress.
Before the outbreak of the war, eighty miles
had been completed to Millican, near the
Brazos, in Brazos County.
There was another railroad, later a part of
the H&TC, which was organized and built by
Washington County farmers, stockmen and
merchants because the H&TC would not agree
to build a branch through that county from
Hempstead to Austin. This was called the
Washington County Railroad; it was char-
tered Feb. 2, 1856, and twenty-one miles to
Brenham completed in 1861.
San Antonio-to-Gulf Line.
These projects threatened the trade of San
Antonio, whose citizens, led by S. A. Maver-
ick, on Sept. 5, 1850, secured a charter for the
San Antonio & Mexican Gulf to run from Port
Lavaca or any point on the Gulf to San An-
tonio, with bonds of $100,000 which were paid
although the road never reached destination.
It was completed to Victoria, twenty-seven
miles, early in 1861. It was practically de-
stroyed in December, 1862, by Confederate
General Magruder to prevent tl~e Federal
Army, then threatening the coast near Port
Lavaca, from using it. It was rebuilt by the
United States Army in 1865-66, and sold out
in 1870 to satisfy a claim of the United States
Government for this expense.
Galveston's First Road.
Galveston became concerned over Houston's
activity in railroad projects and on Feb. 7,
1853, secured a charter for the Galveston,
Houston & Henderson Railroad, began work
in 1856, completed forty miles from the main-
land to the outskirts of Houston by Oct. 22.'
1859, and built the bridge across the bay the
next year, but it was never extended through
Henderson to the Red River as projected. It
was used very effectively by General Ma-
gruder, especially in the successful attack on
the Federal Army at Galveston on Jan. 1,
1863.
None of these projects helped the planters
of Brazoria County, then the richest in the
state, and with Matagorda, Colorado and
Wharton Counties, known as the "Sugar
Bowl." They decided to build a railroad from
Columbia to Houston, which they called the
Houston Tap & Brazoria. It was chartered
on Sept. 1, 1856, and completed by Dec. 1,
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Texas Almanac, 1952-1953, book, 1951; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117137/m1/283/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.