Santa Fe Railroad in Plainview

Operating in the Texas Panhandle since 1886, the Santa Fe Railroad about 1900 laid plans to extend its line into the rich agricultural domain of the South Plains. Meantime, Plainview leaders saw the need for better transportation and in 1903 raised $75,000 to use in promoting a rail connection. J.N. Donohoo, Dr. Lee Dye, W.E. Dyer, L.S. Kinder, L.A. Knight, Charles McCormack, J.H. Slaton, R.P. Smyth, and Dr. J.H. Wayland led this endeavor. The city and the Santa Fe came to terms, and the first train reached here on Dec. 31, 1906. Regular service soon followed, and oldtimers rejoiced when train whistles heralded and end to isolation. Once or twice a week, land agents arrived with trainloads of prospective settlers. Local builders constructed a courthouse, new schoolhouse, new city hall, an electric plant, an opera house, residences and business buildings. Soon the Wayland Literary and Technical Institution was under construction. Railroad service made a major contribution to the economic development of Hale County, opening acreage to settlement and agricultural expansion. (1975)

Santa Fe Railroad in Plainview is a historical marker in Plainview, Hale County, dedicated in 1975. It is one of 39 historical markers documented in Hale County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 43 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 34.1956, -101.7035 near Plainview. The nearest cataloged historic site is Lake Plainview (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Plainview Daily Herald, First Baptist Church of Plainview, and Texas Land & Development Company, Former Office Site of.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5189005424. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.