Weatherford, Mineral Wells and Northwestern Railway
Cool, Parker County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1852, years before the nation's first transcontinental rail line was completed in 1869, the Texas Legislature chartered what would become the Texas & Pacific Railway Company. The Civil War halted progress, but in 1888 the line reached Weatherford in its advance westward to the Pacific coast. The tracks then turned south to avoid the Palo Pinto Hills. This left northwestern Parker County and most of Palo Pinto County without rail support. In the 1880s, Mineral Wells became a resort. A stage line connected it to the railroad at Millsap, but the town's popularity called for a rail connection. Several men, led by W.A. Stone of Missouri, received a charter for the Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Railway Company in 1889. The line linked Mineral Wells to Weatherford, which by then was served by the T&P and Santa Fe railroads. The WMW&NWRR established a depot, offices and repair shop in Weatherford. The new line, built largely on land obtained from the Franco-Texan Land Company, included stops at Lemley, Franco, Garner and Rock Creek. On January 1, 1891, a crowd in Mineral Wells greeted the first train's arrival, and by 1899 approximately 33,000 passengers made the trip each year from Weatherford to Mineral Wells. The line also supported freight shipments. T&P eventually acquired the line and extended it to Salesville, Oran and Graford. By the beginning of the 1940s, after decades of highway expansion, the rail line was no longer productive. The advent of World War II and the training of troops at nearby Camp Wolters resurrected the line briefly. It became part of the Missouri Pacific system in 1988 and closed in 1992. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Texas & Pacific reached Weatherford in 1888 but turned south to skirt the Palo Pinto Hills, the booming resort town of Mineral Wells was left without a rail link. Led by W.A. Stone, backers chartered the Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Railway in 1889, and on New Year's Day 1891 the first train steamed into Mineral Wells to a cheering crowd. At its height the line carried some 33,000 passengers a year to the mineral-water resort before highways, and finally 1992, ended its run.
Why it matters
This little railroad shows how rail access made or broke a Gilded Age town, turning Mineral Wells into a thriving health resort until the automobile rewrote the map.
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Related people
- · W.A. Stone
Related events
- · Arrival of the first train in Mineral Wells, 1891
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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