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Monday, March 6, 2017
Page #6
Howe History Minute: Railroad Memories by G.T. McDonough
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The railroad came through Howe in 1872 bringing growth and prosperity. The railroad was the Southern Pacific. Howe was located in the middle of a rich farming area; it became known for grain, cotton, corn, hogs, and cattle. Howe had the distinction of being named the largest grain market inland in the nation. For many years there were four grain companies operating in Howe. On Many occasions it would take the train a one-half day to switch on the side tracks. They would have to furnish boxcars to every elevator and gin. During these days all freight was carried by rail. There were no trucks until after World War I. Freight was delivered to the depot which was located next to the main track on the north side of Haning Street. This is directly east of former Mack's Grocery (now apartments in downtown) which was located on the corner straight across from the fire hall. Our family moved here in 1918 and at that time the depot was large enough to hold all the freight delivered here by the train. The freight was then delivered to the various merchants by wagon and teams of horses or mules. The depot was run by a Mr. Carnes. There were "through" freight trains that did not stop at Howe. The depot agent would hand the orders to the engineer of the train with a hoop. We also had passenger trains running through Howe. On one occasion my family made a trip to the Dallas Fair on a train that was run just for that special event. During those days a little boy that was quite a trip for me. I have never forgotten a few of the things that happened. One thing that has stuck in my memory was buying a hot cooked fist at the Dallas Depot. When the weather was bad, all the men and boys went to the depot. many played marbles, pitched washers, etc. This was about the only recreation we had then. To eliminate the mud problem, the railroad graveled all around the depot. During this time, Howe had three gins and three grain elevators. This provided an enormous amount of business for the railroad. My dad built a large wharf on one of the railroad's sidings to keep the bales of cotton out of the mud. The bales of cotton were stored on the wharf and then as the buyers sold the cotton, it would be loaded into the boxcars.
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As you have seen time waits for no man or thing. In the 1920s, the electric interurban began trying to get the railroad's freight business. Each built a cotton wharf. The electric company ran boxcars just like the railroad. Both carried the mail to the post office. At one time, Howe would receive mail every 30 minutes. We were very lucky to live in a town that the railroad went through. Times were changing fast. Highway 75 was a gravel road. The trucking business was starting up and growing. At the endof the 1920s, a new highway 75 (now Highway 5) was being built out of contrete. It was being built by horses and mules. A bridge was built over the underpass to allow farmers to cross over Highway 75 with their farm products. All this time more cars and trucks were apprearing and were in great demand. The railroad had more and more competition. The passenger train was discontinued due to
lack of business. The The interurban rails had to be moved to allow the construction of the new Highway 75. it was moved one block east. The old location of the interurban is now Highway 5. The Domino Hall (now Peggy's Porch south of City Hall) was the freight building for the interurban. All this time, the emergence of trucks and cars was causing the railroad to lose a lot of business. About this time along came the Great Depression. Why they call it "great", I'll never know. It was everything buy great to most people. Into the 1930s, the freight business continued to go to the trucks. Due to the depression, farm products were practically worthless. In this area, there were no jobs. People lost their homes and farms. My family lost a one hundred acre farm while owing only two thousand dollars on it. Cotton got so cheap, farmers were unable to sell it. This situation also caused the railroads to lose money. They cut all costs they could. The railroad tracks got in really bad condition. They repaired only what absolutely had to be repaired. In the late 1930s, Hitler came into power in Europe and began to take over several nations. People began to get a few jobs. Then came World War II. Of course the railroad business picked up. Over this period of time, the farmers had new ways to handle their products. Due to the availability of cards, the interurban had to go out of business. The depot for the railroad was torn down. The gins and elevators were closed and torn down. The railroad no longer needed the siding (or switching) tracks. They were removed one by one. Presently (as written in 1991), there is only a small train, one southbound, one northbound each day. The railroad played a great part in the pioneering and building of America. To ride on a train is an experience like no other you will ever enjoy in your life. If you haven't ridden on one, do so before they are all gone. The Southern Pacific Railroad played a very important role in the development of Howe. Jim and Jennie McDonough and four children moved to Howe, Texas in 1918. They came here in a covered wagon. Jim McDonough had the Chevrolet dealership in a building where Independent Bank of Howe is now located. An insurance agent and a public cotton weighter were located where the Howe Volunteer Fire Department building now stands. Jim McDonough started a business of "country peddling" by selling and trading various good and necessities. Jim died in 1931. His son, G.T. (Mack), then 14, continued his business until he finished school and went to Dallas to work. Later, he had a motorcycle delivery business in Sherman. Then he carried a rural route delivering the Sherman Democrat. This allowed him to become acquainted with many people. People still remember him (as of this 1991 article) as their paper boy. G.T. then went into the Reserve Air Corp to train as a glider pilot. He was later discharged after the excessive losses of people on the island of Crete caused the Allied Command to change the European invation more toward the use of boats rather than gilders.
