The CW&BV and I&GN Railroads in Bryan
Bryan, Brazos County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Bryan was platted on land granted to the Houston & Texas Central Railroad in 1859. In 1900, a second railroad, the Calvert, Waco & Brazos Valley (CW&BV) was built through Bryan by George Gould. The CW&BV built a depot here in 1900; besides train activities, the depot hosted social events until it was razed in 1990. In 1901, when tracks were extended to Waco, the CW&BV merged with the International & Great Northern Railroad (IG&N). The trains helped Bryan become a center of commerce, as the railroads were used to ship goods, particularly cotton, to larger markets for sale. Passengers also used the trains for travel. Railroad use declined after World War II, though resurgences occurred in the 1970s and 1990s. (2009)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Bryan grew on land granted to the Houston & Texas Central Railroad in 1859, and in 1900 a second line — the Calvert, Waco & Brazos Valley, built by George Gould — arrived with a depot that doubled as a social hall until it was razed in 1990. When the tracks reached Waco in 1901 the CW&BV merged into the International & Great Northern Railroad, and the combined lines carried cotton and other goods to distant markets, along with passengers. Rail use ebbed after World War II, with brief revivals in the 1970s and 1990s.
Why it matters
Competing rail lines turned towns like Bryan into commercial hubs, and their depots into the social and economic centers of everyday life.
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Related people
- · George Gould
Themes & tags
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