JUNE 29, 1881

A CITY RISES FROM THE PRAIRIE

Today, a new city is born on the backland prairies of Bell County. 

Someday, this new community will be home to famous athletes, actors, explorers and doctors, but today, it’s a train town.

Founded and formed today by the new Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway, this town we call Temple is the result of two bickering neighbors — the cities of Houston and Galveston — and to them, we say: “Thank you.”

The town was born to provide services for railroad workers and equipment along the route from Galveston to Fort Worth. This line was started months ago by a newly formed rail company.

Twenty years ago, there was one line between Galveston and Houston. Galveston is the richest city in the state and serves as a port of entry and exit for Texas and the country.

As we all know, Texas is prone to Yellow Fever outbreaks, and Galveston had an especially bad outbreak in 1867. The state gives counties the right to quarantine people and goods traveling from infected areas. Well, the folks in Houston used this tactic to bar Galvestonians and their freight from passing through. 

Since then, this tactic has been used many times. Whenever rumors of an outbreak reappeared, Houston merchants would promptly have a quarantine declared on all passenger and freight traffic coming from the island city. This further isolated Galveston and its goods and kept merchants from selling their wares around the state. This, of course, gave Bayou City merchants the upper hand.

About eight years ago, Galveston business leaders had enough, and they decided to build their own railroad to Fort Worth and beyond, completely bypassing Houston. Town leaders invested in a new company — the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway, named for its point of origin and its destinations.

Progress of slow, but as we all know, the line made it to the Heart of Texas.

Today, local landowner Jonathan Ewing Moore sold 181 acres of his farm to the Santa Fe for $27 an acre. Yes, I know that’s an outrageously high price, but that was the number agreed upon.

Starting early this morning, trains became arriving in this new city — Temple. They named the place after the railroad construction engineer Bernard Temple, the man who supervised work along the new line. 

The trains rolling into Temple today are full of folks from all over the state — folks looking to get in on the opportunities associated with starting a new town. Right now, there’s not much here. But I’ve heard the folks getting off the trains talking about building stores, homes, cotton gins and taverns. There’s been a lot of tavern talk.

According to the railroad men running this show, the passengers had to pay for their tickets. But, if they purchase land that ticket price is to be refunded.

Judging from the number of people walking around with property deeds, this place is going to be something to see in a matter of days. 

I’m going to wrap this up — the Santa Fe railroad boys are cooking up some barbecue for the occasion and I don’t want to miss out.

NOTE: A BORED MIND DOES BIZARRE THINGS. EXPECT A ‘NORMAL’ ISSUE TOMORROW. INFORMATION FOR THE ABOVE STORY WAS PROVIDED BY CRAIG ORDNER, ARCHIVIST FOR THE TEMPLE RAILROAD & HERITAGE MUSEUM AND THE SPRINGER RAILROAD ARCHIVES.