San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-05-01
FROM DALLAS.
improvements Railroads. Politicai'''
Crop Prospect, Etc.

ED. FRER PREss II have not writ
ton for some time, but neither You
nor your readers have lost much II
anything. But am prompted to SEND
YOU line about our growth and
other matters wo think the people
would be glad TO know.
Our corporate limit is ono and n
half miles square on tho cast side oil
the Trinity river, which L have seen
dry here, and have also seen steam
boat at this place loading freight and
bound for Galveston. In 1858, three
hundred feet from the public square
on Main street, shot wild ducks IN
a pond more than fifty feet square,
which place is no covered by a three
story building-the Grand Windsor
Hotel-which is now being added to
by q large stone building which
almost covers tho block-two hun
dred feet square. On the 9Th OF
1860, tho town was burned ;
but one little house left on tho square
where oil the business was done, not
a store, hotel or office was left.
Then came that horrible thing to
think of, much less to talk about, TINT
ugly civil war; at the close OF which
in 1865, Dallas looked lone and desc
late. We then hauled our merchan
disc from Houston, Jefferson, and
La., in ox-wagons.
A few days ago our city election
was held and over 2700 votes were
polled; and to extend our corpora
ton one mile cast, which is now being
seriously talked about, I am sure the
vote would be increased to 4OOO.
In 1867 land one and half miles
from the court house was sold ut ten
dollars per acre, and xow lots on said
land 5Ox100 feet are being cashed at
$500. A few years ago q friend
bought more than q hundred acres OF
land more than two miles from the
court house, and last week sold 81
acres of it for 100000. The growth
of the city was never more rapid than
now, many large and fine business
houses are rapidly approaching com
pletion on both sides of Main, Com
merce and Elm Streets, and beautiful
md substantial residences and com
Portable tenant houses, all over the
,ity are springing up. The work on
, $4,000 house between Main and
Commerce and Ervey Streets, has
commenced, it will be used for the
Federal Court and Post Office. This
will be ten blocks from the public
than 1000 feet.
The Houston and Texas Central and
;he Texas and Pacific railroads cross
II the city giving us direct trade and
jravel to Galveston, st. Louis, New
Orleans and San Francisco. The
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe road
gives competing lines to Galveston
A branch of the Missouri Pacific from
Denton is here. The Texas Trunk
from Dallas to Sabine Pass, has
reached Henderson County. This
,oad will give us another line to New
Orleans, but the grandest of all bene-
it's is that it will pass through for
many miles the finest pinery in the
United States OF the world, and can
furnish building material and fencing
lumber to develop the nice prairies
If Northwest Texas. The extension
If the Gulf, Colorado 81 Santa Fe
.oad northwest in the direction of
Paris, Lamar County, will be grand
'eeder for Dallas, passing over the
richest farming lands in the State.
Rapid work on this road, 1 learn, is
soon to begin. A road from Dallas
would open up rich farm
ng and fine live stock country,
besides developing the rich coal mines
If northwest Texas. This projected
Dad is now securing not only the at
ention of the moneyed mon of DIAL
as but by many others along the
line in several other coun-
les. Another grand feeder for Dial
asa proposed road to run south
vest over q rich farming sections
low receiving the attention OF rail
'oad men us well as that of the rich
armers along the proposed line.
The political pot has started to
,oil at Dallas. The Republicans
AVE held their county convention
md appointed delegates to their
State Convention. A feverish dis
ord for many months in that party
has prevailed in the county between
he ''ins and the outs" and the pro
seedlings last week show that har-
nony was not reached and that the
'ins" held the balance Of power. II