Following the Civil War, the Chisholm Trail allowed Texas cattle to be driven to railheads in Kansas for shipment to eastern markets. An arm of the route, extending from Matagorda County to the main trail near present McGregor, passed through this area. With the establishment of James L. Dean's store, later the site of Deanville, and the White Inn, the trail became an important commercial road. It was vital to the development of Burleson County's cattle industry, but its use declined after rail lines reached the area in the late 1870s.