San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad
Pleasanton, Atascosa County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad had its beginning as a short line railroad and began in 1909 under the original name of the Crystal City and Uvalde (CC&U) Railroad. With the advent of drilling and discovery of deep artesian water wells in the western portion of the brush country, irrigation farming of fruits and vegetables became very profitable which increased the need for better transportation to ship goods to distant markets. Land promoters soon saw the value of the CC&U Railroad, offering “bonuses” to bring the railroad to new areas of the brush country. In 1912, it expanded into North Pleasanton, created by railroad officials to include a round house, railroad shops and a two-story depot. The train from San Antonio made its first trip to Pleasanton on September 16, 1912. By the time the tracks reached Pleasanton, the railroad became the San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf railroad (SAU&G), or “The Sausage.” In January 1913, a bridge over the Atascosa River was completed and train service continued to Campbellton and, eventually, to the coast. In the early 1920s, the SAU&G was purchased by the New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railroad for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. In 1982, Missouri Pacific merged into the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad was a major factor in transforming the hot, dry, brush and prickly pear area into the vast farming and ranching lands of south Texas. The old SAU&G Railroad tracks from San Antonio to Corpus Christi are the last remaining tracks between the two cities. Union Pacific crews still refer to this stretch of tracks as “The Sausage.”
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in 1909 as the short-line Crystal City and Uvalde, this railroad grew as deep artesian wells turned the dry brush country into profitable irrigated farmland that needed a way to reach market. By 1912 it reached a new depot at North Pleasanton and, extended toward the coast, took the name San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf—nicknamed 'The Sausage.' Later absorbed by Missouri Pacific and then Union Pacific, its tracks remain the last line between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
Why it matters
The railroad transformed South Texas brushland into thriving farm and ranch country—a classic case of how rail access remade a regional economy.
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Related events
- · Coming of the SAU&G Railroad to Pleasanton
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
North Pleasanton
Pleasanton, TX
When the Crystal City and Uvalde Railroad—renamed the San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf—pushed toward Pleasanton, its officials laid out a brand-new town in 1912 at the line's division point to house railroad workers. North Pleasanton boomed with a Mission Revival depot, a bridge over the Atascosa River, hotels, a bank, and businesses along First Street, and by 1914 a newspaper touted it as the fastest-growing town in the South. But when Missouri Pacific bought the line in 1927 and closed the shops, the Depression-era town faded, finally voting to consolidate with Pleasanton in 1961.
Jourdanton
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In 1909 two entrepreneurs—merchant Jourdan Campbell and Danish wool-and-mohair man Theodore Zanderson—laid out a town on their ranch and persuaded a land speculator to bring the railroad through; the first train arrived that September. Jourdanton quickly gained utilities, a bank, a newspaper and churches, and in 1910 wrested the county seat from Pleasanton. Oil and gas discoveries in the 1940s and later lignite mining kept the town growing well after the railroads stopped running.
Mackey Brick and Tile Manufacturing Company
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