Transportation
5
On June 14, 1886, the first San Antonio and Aransas Pass (SA&AP) train arrived in Beeville to a cheering crowd. Its arrival crowned the combined efforts of SA&AP president Uriah Lott, Beeville merchant, banker, and cattleman Captain A.C. Jones, and rancher Frank Skidmore to route the railroad through Bee County. When Lott's proposed line from San Antonio to the Gulf at Corpus Christi was opposed by nearby Goliad, Jones granted land and substantial funds, while Skidmore donated land and the Skidmore townsite, and many others followed their example. Beeville was transformed from a village into a boom town and, surrounded by new farming towns, became a shipping point for cattle and cotton. In 1889, after the Southern Pacific completed a second line through the area to Victoria and the Port of Galveston, Bee County became a rail center with connections far and wide for passenger and freight service. Passenger service peaked in 1918, and by 1930 the Beeville-Skidmore line averaged 18 trains daily. During World War II passenger service increased, but improved highway travel led to its end in 1952. The Southern Pacific depot was razed in 1958, and the last train left Bee County in 1994, but the booster spirit of the railroad era lives on.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Beeville, Texas · United States
