Effects of transportation on the growth of Texas cities Miriam Kelsay

Summary In 1872, Dallas had a population of 1,200. The town tried to attract railroads. During the depression year the population changed to 7,000. Land, money, and free labor brought railroads to Fort Worth. The stockyards made it the first major cow town, and in ninety day the population increased three times to 3,000 people. The business took off when a meat packing industry was installed. A big target town was El Paso. The gold rush and the war with Mexico brought attention to the town in 1881 which was a gateway to California and Mexico. In the 1880’s (the greatest railroad decade) the number of Texas towns increased from 11 to 20. The number grew to thirty six in the 1890’s. In 1910 there were 49 towns each of which had a population more than 4,000. In 1920 there were 70 towns and the largest were Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Due to the railroads, the population increased greatly in Texas towns.

Populations of texas towns during the railroad era