Land grants and other forms of government aid helped create a Texas railroad boom. In the early 1870s the Houston and Texas Central
Railway (H&TC) built a line from Galveston to Dallas and Denison. At
Denison, it met the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas line, which provided service north to St. Louis, Missouri. Between 1876 and 1879, railroad companies laid more than 750 miles of track in Texas. During the boom, railroad companies began a race west. The
Southern Pacific was building a rail line from California to Texas.
Other railroad companies competed to meet the Southern Pacific first.
Railway (H&TC) built a line from Galveston to Dallas and Denison. At
Denison, it met the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas line, which provided service north to St. Louis, Missouri. Between 1876 and 1879, railroad companies laid more than 750 miles of track in Texas. During the boom, railroad companies began a race west. The
Southern Pacific was building a rail line from California to Texas.
Other railroad companies competed to meet the Southern Pacific first.