Reminiscing in Ellis County
Thursday after having lunch in Midlothian I drove through the country toward Sardis and Waxahachie. This is mostly rocky limestone formerly pastureland with trees and lots of creeks and canyons. The area is rapidly filling up with residential construction that I would consider above the reach of most middle class residents.
I was out of bread at home so I picked up a loaf at Walmart and then stopped a few minutes to check out the Rogers Street Bridge over Waxahachie Creek.
The bridge has been completely restored but is now open to pedestrian traffic only. It is a connecting link for the extensive trail system that starts in Getzendanner Park. While there I was reminded of an earlier day during the great depression when the sheriff was shot and killed along these tracks by a drunken black youth.
The story is dramatically told in "Places In The Heart" with Sally Field.
Then I remembered the old Interurban Trestle that crossed the creek and continued over the multiple rail lines that follow the creek.
I could almost hear the rumble of the car overhead and see the passengers waving down at me as they passed by.
North Texas had a comprehensive transit system that served the area well until the automobile became commonplace in everyone's driveway. I think the rails are still buried under the asphalt of Main street in Cleburne. Waxahachie was home to a 400KW motor driven generator that provided 1200 volts of direct current to power the rail cars.
On Wednesday I had taken this shot of a house between Alvarado and Keene.
Thursday after having lunch in Midlothian I drove through the country toward Sardis and Waxahachie. This is mostly rocky limestone formerly pastureland with trees and lots of creeks and canyons. The area is rapidly filling up with residential construction that I would consider above the reach of most middle class residents.
I was out of bread at home so I picked up a loaf at Walmart and then stopped a few minutes to check out the Rogers Street Bridge over Waxahachie Creek.
The bridge has been completely restored but is now open to pedestrian traffic only. It is a connecting link for the extensive trail system that starts in Getzendanner Park. While there I was reminded of an earlier day during the great depression when the sheriff was shot and killed along these tracks by a drunken black youth.
The story is dramatically told in "Places In The Heart" with Sally Field.
Then I remembered the old Interurban Trestle that crossed the creek and continued over the multiple rail lines that follow the creek.
I could almost hear the rumble of the car overhead and see the passengers waving down at me as they passed by.
North Texas had a comprehensive transit system that served the area well until the automobile became commonplace in everyone's driveway. I think the rails are still buried under the asphalt of Main street in Cleburne. Waxahachie was home to a 400KW motor driven generator that provided 1200 volts of direct current to power the rail cars.
On Wednesday I had taken this shot of a house between Alvarado and Keene.
posted by Grandpa at 9:49 AM
2 Comments:
If you drive along old Rt 81 south of Hillsboro into West you can see remnants of the roadbed of the Interurban. There's also a spot near the I35 split north of Hillsboro where you can see the cut made through the roadbed.
That rusty abandoned track in the foreground is the MKT line to Hillsboro. That RR trestle they recently dismantled on I35 at Hillsboro is part of it. The track veering to the right is BNSF - former Burlington-Rock Island Joint line. BRI merged with the Katy at Waxahachie then took the Katy to Dallas where they went their separate ways.
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