The San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad began in 1909 as the short line Crystal City and Uvalde Railroad. As drilling and the discovery of deep artesian water wells made irrigation farming of fruits and vegetables very profitable in the western brush country, the need grew for better transportation to ship goods to distant markets. Land promoters encouraged expansion by offering bonuses to bring the line into new areas. In 1912, it expanded into North Pleasanton, a community created by railroad officials to include a round house, railroad shops, and a two story depot, and the train from San Antonio made its first trip to Pleasanton on September 16, 1912. By the time the tracks reached Pleasanton, the line had become the San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad, also called The Sausage. In January 1913, a bridge over the Atascosa River was completed, allowing service to continue to Campbellton and eventually to the coast. In the early 1920s, the railroad was purchased by the New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railroad for the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and in 1982 Missouri Pacific merged into the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad was a major factor in transforming the hot, dry brush and prickly pear country into the vast farming and ranching lands of South Texas, and its old tracks from San Antonio to Corpus Christi remain the last between the two cities. Union Pacific crews still call this stretch of track The Sausage.