Tomball began in 1907 as a railroad stop on the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad. The town, platted around the depot, was first called Peck, but later that same year its name was changed to Tomball in honor of Thomas H. Ball, an attorney and U.S. Representative who was instrumental in routing the railroad through the area. The communities surrounding Tomball had been settled in the 1800's by German immigrants who turned the prairie into farms and cattle ranches. The railroad provided transportation for farmers' produce and employment for many people. After the sagging economy of the 1920's, Tomball received a new lease on life when an oil well west of town erupted into a gusher. In 1933, Tomball became a booming oil town and the location of the Humble Oil Company camp. It later emerged as a thriving regional center of commerce and, by 1986, had a population of 6000 while holding fast to a rich and proud heritage.