San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railroad
Port Lavaca, Calhoun County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chartered in 1850, the San Antonio & Mexican Gulf Railroad was one of the first railroads in Texas. San Antonio investors hoped it would open trade from the Gulf. As the line was built westward from Port Lavaca, wagons loaded with goods met the train on the open prairie. In 1863 Confederates destroyed the track to keep it out of Union hands. In the 1870s the line was associated with Charles Morgan's steamship company. Southern Pacific bought the railroad in 1884. Until the 1930s weekend excursions were offered to Port Lavaca beaches. (1979)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1850, the San Antonio & Mexican Gulf was among the very first railroads in Texas, built by San Antonio investors hoping to link the interior to Gulf trade. As tracks pushed west from Port Lavaca, wagons met the trains out on the open prairie to exchange freight. Confederates tore up the line in 1863 to deny it to Union forces; rebuilt and absorbed by larger companies, it later carried weekend beachgoers well into the 1930s.
Why it matters
This pioneering line marks the dawn of railroading in Texas, the transportation revolution that would knit the state's ports, prairies, and markets into the national economy.
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Related people
- · Charles Morgan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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