The Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad built a siding switch called "Mark Belt" near here in 1883 as part of its Houston to Alvin branch rail line. In 1893 William Zychlinski purchased 2560 acres in this area, which he subdivided and platted in 1894, including the 273-acre townsite of Pearland. S. M. Christensen, president of the Southern Homestead Company, contracted to develop the townsite and, as part of a plan to attract settlers, planted numerous pear and other fruit trees. In 1900 the Santa Fe Railroad built a depot nearby that soon became a gathering place where settlers met visitors and picked up mail and supplies, while locally produced cotton, hay, cattle, fruit, and vegetables were shipped to market by rail. Pearland's development, delayed by the devastating storm of 1900, surged about 1910 as the Allison-Richey Suburban Gardens Co. successfully promoted the area as an agricultural wonderland with vital railroad access. Oil production, cattle ranching, and hay, rice, and fig farming sustained Pearland's growth, but the railroad's importance diminished and the depot closed in 1972.