Transportation and Industry – Railroads come to Texas

1. Transportation and Industry – Railroads come to Texas Chapter 19 Section 2

2. I. Texans Demand Railroads • Before 1900 most people traveled by wagons and buggies. • Poor transportation slowed Texas’ development. • Farmers and Merchants could only market goods in nearby areas – not many opportunities to make profits.

4. A Network of Steel Connects Texas • Before the Civil War, only 400 miles of Railroad in Texas. • 1872 – First Rail connections with other states made. • Towns paid railroads to build tracks in their cities.

5. A Network of Steel • State encouraged building through Land Grant Law of 1876: • 16 sections (10,240 acres) of land given to rail company for every mile of track built. • 32 million acres given until 1882.

7. T&P 610 – owned by TX State Railroad

8. A Network of Steel • By 1900 10,000 miles of track in Texas. • Travel times across the state went from days or weeks to hours. • New towns built near railroads. Existing towns near railroads grew up. Towns located away or outside of railroads dried up. • Towns where rail lines met became center of business – Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio – grew into major cities.

10. Downtown Dallas, TX 1900 Downtown Ft. Worth, TX 1900

11. Improving Transportation • No State Road system existed in 1880s. • Every county built and maintained its own roads. • Most roads were unpaved and became mud pits, or were very dusty and dirty.

13. Improving Transportation • More and more roads were built in 1880s and 1890s. • Streetcars and trolley cars appeared in 1870s and by 1900, cars were starting to be seen in Texas. • Growing popularity of cars led state to improve roads.

14. Horse-Drawn Street Car in Texas: late 1800s

15. Electric Trolley in San Angelo, TX