Railroads were built through Montgomery County in the early 1870's. The first line to cross the county on a north-south route was the International & Great Northern, now Missouri Pacific. A short while later, the Gulf Colorado RR took an east-west route through Montgomery County. New towns developed along both rights of way, while other communities that were bypassed dwindled and some became ghost towns. Sawmills, cotton gins, and small factories began appearing along the railroads, and farmers and loggers found they could export more of their products by this faster and safer transportation route, allowing an increase in productivity.