Taft began when the railroad laid tracks to the area and beyond, with Siding Number Two near 2nd and Supply Row serving as the starting point. Railroad cars were unloaded there with supplies for rapidly expanding oil production across what was called the Midway Sunset Oil Field. Buildings soon appeared, followed by houses, businesses, schools, and the other necessities of a progressive city. Electricity and a water supply were brought in, voters approved incorporation, and Taft became a city on November 7, 1910. The railroad then began subdividing land and installing streets, sidewalks, gutters, and curbs as the city took shape. Downtown was crowded with workers at all hours of the day laboring in 12-hour shifts, and Taft was said to resemble a mining town that never slept.