The Texas & Pacific Railway: First Railroad Across West Texas
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chartered March 3, 1871, by act of U.S. Congress, to build a railroad to the Pacific coast, the Texas & Pacific Railway Company, under leadership of Colonel Thomas A. Scott, president, began construction across West Texas in 1880. General Grenville M. Dodge, civil engineer and builder of the Union Pacific, was in charge. The first train reached the Abilene area in early January 1881 and a station opened for business here on February 28, 1881. The office was in a boxcar at the present Pine Street Overpass. As a policy during its era of construction, the Texas & Pacific promoted the settlement of west Texas. Encouraged by local ranchers, agents of the railway held on March 15, 1881, the first auction of lots in Abilene townsite. On that day 178 lots were sold for $27,550.00. The wisdom of the purchasers has since been well confirmed, for Abilene is now the business, agricultural, transportation, medical, educational and cultural center for central west Texas. (1968)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered by Congress in 1871 to reach the Pacific, the Texas & Pacific Railway pushed across West Texas in 1880 under railroad magnate Thomas A. Scott and engineer Grenville M. Dodge, the veteran builder of the Union Pacific. The first train reached Abilene in January 1881, and a station—housed at first in a boxcar—opened weeks later. To seed a town, railway agents auctioned 178 lots in March 1881 for over $27,000, launching what grew into the commercial center of central West Texas.
Why it matters
The T&P shows how a single railroad could conjure whole cities from open range, deliberately manufacturing the settlement of the American West.
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Related people
- · Thomas A. Scott
- · Grenville M. Dodge
Related events
- · Abilene townsite lot auction of 1881
Themes & tags
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