Westhoff
Westhoff, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded 1906 as Bello ("Beautiful View"), tent city of workers building Texas and New Orleans Railroad. Renamed 1909 for Wm. Westhoff (August 8, 1831 - March 19, 1911), local merchant and political leader. For a time town had 3 cotton gins, 13 stores. It remains a farming - ranching - uranium leasing center, inhabited by many ethnic groups.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This DeWitt County town began in 1906 as "Bello"—Beautiful View—a tent city for crews building the Texas and New Orleans Railroad. Renamed in 1909 for local merchant and political leader William Westhoff, the town at its height supported three cotton gins and thirteen stores. It endures as a farming, ranching, and uranium-leasing center home to many ethnic groups.
Why it matters
Westhoff's story shows how the railroad conjured whole communities out of open prairie, seeding the agricultural towns that still dot South Texas.
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Related people
- · William Westhoff
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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