Cuero Land and Immigration Company
Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On December 25, 1871, Cuero Land and Immigration Company was formed to develop 4,128 acres of land from J. A. Valdez y Gonzales League (granted 1833 by Mexico). Company charter was issued Feb. 7, 1872. There were four founders and stockholders of C. L. I. C.: Gustav Schleicher (1827-1879), civil engineer and lawyer, surveyor of route of Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railway and city of Cuero, U.S. Congressman (1875-79), honored in naming of a county and a bridge. Fletcher S. Stockdale (1824-1890), lawyer, statesman, Governor of Texas (summer of 1865), member of Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875, civic leader. Charles M. Terrell (1832-1904), U.S. Army paymaster. John C. French (1825-1889), a civic leader, developer. In Jan. 1873, C. L. I. C. donated 100 acres (Morgantown) to Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific to include railway to build its line to this site. First train arrived March 4, 1873, and lot sales boomed. City prospered as western terminus of the railroad. The company donated sites for churches, schools, and public uses (including this block, designated market square). In 1888, when Cuero had 2,000 people, C. L. I. C. ceased operating, but the city continued to grow and prosper. Many street names honor the memory of C. L. I. C. stockholders.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in early 1872, the Cuero Land and Immigration Company set out to develop more than 4,000 acres carved from an 1833 Mexican land grant. Its founders were men of standing — among them civil engineer and congressman Gustav Schleicher and Fletcher S. Stockdale, who had briefly served as governor of Texas in 1865. By donating land to lure the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railway, the company brought the first train in March 1873, touching off a land boom that made Cuero a thriving railroad terminus and civic center.
Why it matters
The company's story shows how private land syndicates and railroad deals literally built towns across post-Civil War Texas, planting churches, schools, and market squares on the open prairie.
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Related people
- · Gustav Schleicher
- · Fletcher S. Stockdale
- · Charles M. Terrell
- · John C. French
Themes & tags
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