Electric railways, or trolleys, provided convenient travel between many Texas cities for more than forty years. The first interurban line was established in Grayson County, connecting Sherman and Denison. Founded in 1900 by Fred Fitch and John P. Crerar, the Denison and Sherman Railway began operations on May 1, 1901, with a single 10.5-mile track. Near this site, halfway between its passenger stations in the two cities, the company built a power plant, offices, and a car barn. To supply water for the power plant, it built a dam below Tanyard Springs, creating a small lake called Wood Lake, which provided recreational facilities for passengers on excursion trains. Founded in 1906, the Texas Traction Company began construction that year on a second interurban line from Dallas to McKinney. After merging with the Denison and Sherman Railway in 1908, it expanded operations, eventually connecting a number of north Texas cities and changing its name to the Texas Electric Railway in 1917. The rise of automobile travel signaled the decline of the Texas interurbans by the 1930s, and the last train passed this site on December 31, 1948, traveling from Denison to Dallas.