The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway first began operation in the U.S. state of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
in 1886. It was developed by Uriah Lott and businessmen of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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as a direct route from the city to
Aransas Bay
Aransas Bay is a bay on the Texas Gulf Coast, approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, and south of San Antonio. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by San José Island (also referred to as St. Joseph Island). Aransas Pass is the m ...
on the Texas
Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...
coast. It was eventually absorbed in the 20th century by
Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
.
Background
Uriah Lott, a transportation
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...
, engaged his friends
Richard King and contractor
Mifflin Kenedy in development of three railroad lines in Texas to improve connections from major cities to smaller ones, and to trading areas in Mexico. The
Corpus Christi, San Diego and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Railroad connected
Corpus Christi and
Laredo. The
St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway ran from
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
to
Brownsville through the
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...
and related stops.
Supported by businessmen from
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was developed to connect San Antonio with
Aransas Bay
Aransas Bay is a bay on the Texas Gulf Coast, approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, and south of San Antonio. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by San José Island (also referred to as St. Joseph Island). Aransas Pass is the m ...
on Texas'
Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...
coast, where a
deepwater port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
was being developed.
Lott, Texas
Lott is a city in Falls County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 644.
History
The Texas Townsite Company bought the land in 1889. When the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was built through the area in ...
was named in the developer's honor.
(After damaging
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s in the early 20th century, the US
Army Corps of Engineers designated
Corpus Christi to be the deep-water port in this area.)
Line history
The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway Company was incorporated in 1884, to fulfill the need for a direct railway route from San Antonio to Mexico.
Augustus Belknap became president of the company's board of directors, all of whom were also the primary investors, which included William H. Maverick, Edward Stevenson, Edward Katula, Daniel Sullivan, A. J. Lockwood, and George H. Kalteyer, all businessmen based in San Antonio,
George Polk was the surveyor. With no progress upon completion of Polk's survey, Belknap was replaced by Lott as president of the board. He gained support in the state legislature from Representative Mifflin Kennedy. Construction began in 1885, and the first train rolled out on the line in 1886. The railroad went into receivership in 1890. The receivership was lifted in 1892 after a corporate reorganization whereby
Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
acquired the majority of the stock.
As Section 5 of
Article X of the Texas Constitution Article X of the Texas Constitution of 1876 covers railroad companies and the creation of the Railroad Commission of Texas. The federal government later created the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroads, and eight of the nine sections ...
prohibited common control of parallel railroads, in 1903, the
Southern Pacific Railway was sued by the
Texas Railroad Commission
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and sur ...
. Southern Pacific lost the lawsuit and was compelled to divest itself of ownership of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway. In 1924, a change in statutes allowed Southern Pacific to regain control of the railway.
In 1934, the Southern Pacific consolidated the San Antonio and Aransas Pass into their
Texas and New Orleans subsidiary road.
See also
*
Pinta Trail
References
External links
San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Antonio and Aransas Pass RR
Defunct Texas railroads
Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company
Transportation in San Antonio
Railway companies established in 1886
1886 establishments in Texas
Railway companies disestablished in 1934
History of San Antonio
Karnes County, Texas