Old Smiley Lake and Townsite
Smiley, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Attracted by abundant water from a natural lake, settlers began moving to this area in the late 1840s. Ranching provided the earliest commerce. In addition to cattle and sheep, ranchers raised racing horses for sale in the southern states. Cattlemen brought their herds to the lake area until they were ready for transfer to Belmont (20 miles north), where a branch of the Chisholm cattle trail was located. George W. Colley, considered to be the founder of Smiley Lake community, moved here in 1879. Near his home he built a steam-powered cotton gin and sawmill. He was joined later by Major W. M. Phillips who opened a mercantile establishment here in 1883. The settlement of Smiley Lake, named for early pioneer Jim Smiley, was located on the Cuero-Rancho trade route between San Antonio and the Gulf port of Indianola. The village once had a saddle factory, blacksmith shop, wire fence plant, newspaper, general stores, drugstore, school, baptist church, an I. O. O. F. Lodge and a post office established in 1884. When the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad completed lines nearby in 1906, the town of Smiley was moved to the present location (one mile north).
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Old Smiley Lake drew settlers in the late 1840s to a natural lake, where ranching—cattle, sheep, and even racing horses—became the first commerce. George W. Colley, considered the community's founder, arrived in 1879 and built a steam-powered cotton gin and sawmill, and the settlement grew to include stores, a saddle factory, a newspaper, a school, and a post office. When the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad laid lines nearby in 1906, the town of Smiley picked up and moved a mile north to meet the rails.
Why it matters
Smiley's move to the railroad is a classic Texas tale of towns that lived or died by where the tracks were laid.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Settlers began arriving in this part of Gonzales County in the late 1840s, shortly after Texas joined the United States. What drew them was water. A natural lake was a precious resource in South Texas, and it made this spot a natural gathering place for people and livestock.
Ranching came first. After the Civil War, Texas cattle became enormously valuable to markets in the North, and herds were driven up long trails toward the railheads in Kansas. The Chisholm Trail and its many feeder routes became legendary, and communities along them prospered from the traffic.
By the late nineteenth century, the economy was shifting again. Cotton farming spread, steam power arrived in rural gins and mills, and above all the railroads began to decide which towns would grow and which would fade.
People & events
Ranchers here raised cattle and sheep, and also racing horses that were sold in the southern states. Cattlemen grazed their herds near the lake before moving them about twenty miles north to Belmont, where a branch of the Chisholm Trail passed. The lake was, in effect, a staging ground for the great cattle drives.
George W. Colley, considered the founder of the Smiley Lake community, arrived in 1879 and built a steam-powered cotton gin and sawmill near his home. Major W. M. Phillips followed with a mercantile business in 1883, and a post office opened in 1884. The settlement took its name from an early pioneer, Jim Smiley, and benefited from its place on the Cuero-Rancho trade route connecting San Antonio with the Gulf port of Indianola.
At its height the village had a remarkable range of businesses: a saddle factory, a blacksmith shop, a wire fence plant, a newspaper, general stores, a drugstore, a school, a Baptist church, and an Odd Fellows lodge. Then, in 1906, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad built lines nearby. Rather than be left behind, the town of Smiley moved about a mile north to meet the tracks, leaving the old lakeside townsite behind.
Its place in the American story
Smiley's story captures the cattle-drive era that turned Texas ranching into a national industry. Feeder routes like the one through Belmont helped move huge numbers of cattle north after the Civil War, feeding growing cities and shaping the image of the American cowboy.
The town's businesses also tell a bigger story. A wire fence plant points to the arrival of fencing that gradually closed the open range, one of the most important changes in Western ranching. A steam-powered gin shows cotton and mechanization reaching rural Texas.
Most of all, Smiley's move is a classic example of how the railroad remade the map of America. Across the country, towns that the tracks bypassed often withered, while new towns sprang up beside the depot. Many communities physically relocated to survive, and the old sites became ghost towns. Indianola itself, once the trade route's Gulf destination, was devastated by hurricanes in the late 1800s and abandoned, another reminder of how quickly fortunes could change.
If you visit
Today the town of Smiley lies about a mile north of the old lakeside settlement, a direct result of the 1906 move. Standing at the marker, you can picture the busy village that once stood here, with its stores, shops, and lodge, and the herds watering at the lake before heading north.
Little may remain of the original townsite, which is part of its appeal for ghost-town lovers. Respect any private land in the area and enjoy what you can see from public places. Pay attention to the lay of the land and imagine why a reliable source of water mattered so much here.
Smiley makes a good stop on a South Texas history drive through Gonzales County. Pair it with the town of Gonzales, famous for its role in the Texas Revolution, and think of this marker as a chapter in the next era of Texas history, when cattle, cotton, and railroads were reshaping the land.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · George W. Colley
- · W. M. Phillips
- · Jim Smiley
Themes & tags
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