Life Yesterday on the Brazos River

Life yesterday is always related to a location. One of the earliest Angelo American locations near where I live was the Community of Duke, located in eastern Fort Bend County, Texas. My wish and the purpose of this privately maintained web site is that you become aquainted with the settlers that walked this land before we did. After meeting the residents of Duke, Texas, I will expand to the surrounding areas.

The seven links above will help you understand the political environment in which the Republic Of Texas existed.

The Texans Win Independence

The Civil War and Fort Bend County

The links below are to the places in Fort Bend County, Texas that exist today or have existed in the past.

The Duke Community Ghost town [marker] same location as Clear Lake,Texas

The Arcola Community 2 1/2 miles south of Duke

Ratchford, Texas

The Railroad Commission records indicate that in 1912 a line was completed from Arcola to Ratchford, Texas a distance of 4 miles. I have not been able to locate Ratchford, Texas.

Boyd, Texas

The International and Great Northern Railroad laid 2 miles of track from Arcola to Boyd, Texas acording to the Galveston Daily News published April 3, 1894. I have not been able to locate Boyd, Texas.

The International and Great Northern Railroad [I & GN RR] ran from Houston to Fresno, Arcola, Hawdon, Juliff and on to Angleton. Brazoria Tap RR and Houston Belt and Terminal RR followed this route but were discontinued before the I & GN RR.

The road beside the I & G N RR was State HWY 19. [Later known as State HWY 288 and now FM 521]

Fresno, Texas 2 3/4 miles north of Duke Was Riceton, Texas Was Malvern, Texas

Hawdon, Texas-Ghost town 2 miles South by SE of Duke

House, Texas-Ghost town 2 1/4 miles West of Duke at Sugarland Junction [Also shown located at Arcola Sugar Mills]

Juliff, Texas Ghost town 3 3/4 miles South of Duke

The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad ran from Galveston to Arcola, Duke, Sugar Land Junction [House], Thompsons [switch], Booth, Crabb, Richmond and Rosenberg.

State HWY 38 ran from Alvin to Arcola, Trammells, DeWalt, amd ended at Sugar Land. It is now known as state HWY 6.

Trammells, Texas Ghost town 3 3/4 miles west of Duke

DeWalt, Texas Ghost town [marker] 4 1/4 miles west of Duke

There was a road from DeWalt to Thompsons but the bridge across the Brazos River was washed out.

Dyer, Texas Ghost town 4 miles from Duke [Shown on 1936 map at a different location NW of Rosenberg]

HOBBY, TEXAS Ghost town same location as Blue Ridge, Texas 5 1/4 miles from Duke

Smada, Texas Ghost town

Stafford, Texas [marker] 9 miles from Duke Was Staffordsville Was Stafford's Point

The first operating railroad in Texas was the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado, completed from Harrisburg to Stafford in 1853. Later it became the Texas and New Orleans railroad and ran from Houston to Missouri City, Stafford, Sugar Land, Harlem, Flora, Richmond, Rosenberg, Damon Junction, Randon, Wenzell, Tavner and on to Columbus.

The road that ran beside the railroad was US 90 and State HWY 3 now known as US 90A.

Coalson, Texas Ghost town

FIFTH STREET, TEXAS 8 3/4 miles from Duke

MEADOWS, TEXAS 11 miles from Duke

Missouri City, Texas [marker] 8 miles from Duke

FLORA, TEXAS Ghost town 15 miles from Duke

Hodge's Bend, Texas Ghost town

Sartartia, Texas Ghost town

Sugar Land, Texas [marker] 14 miles from Duke

Another part of the Sugar Land Railroad ran west from Sugar Land to Cabell and ended at Hickey.

Imperial, Texas Ghost town 20 miles from Duke

CABELL, TEXAS Ghost town West of Sugar Land

Hickey, Texas Ghost town West of Sugar Land

Clodine, Texas [marker] 18 1/2 miles from Duke

The Texas and New Orleans Railroad ran from Houston to Clodine, Gaston, Flewellen, Fulshear, Simonton and on to Eagle Lake.

There was a road that ran beside the railroad that was not named. Today this road is known as Westheimer or FM 1093.

CINCO RANCH, TEXAS 30 miles from Duke

MANCHESTER, TEXAS Ghost town 15 miles from Duke

PECAN GROVE, TEXAS 17 miles from Duke

Foster Community, Texas Ghost town [marker] 20 miles from Duke

FLEWELLEN, TEXAS Ghost town 26 1/2 miles from Duke

Fulshear, Texas [marker] 29 miles from Duke

Rhemond, Texas Ghost town Located northeast of Simonton towards Pittsville or Fulshear.

SIMONTON, TEXAS 31 miles from Duke

PITTSVILLE, TEXAS Ghost town 18 miles from Duke

FAYETTEVILLE, TEXAS Ghost town 19 miles from Duke

GASTON, TEXAS Ghost town 20 miles from Duke

Site of Thompson's Ferry [marker] 19 1/2 miles from Duke

Oyster Creek

The towns below were across the Brazos River from Duke. The first bridges built across the Brazos were railroad bridges, starting in about 1875. To appreciate how this river divided the county, the next time you want to cross the river, . DON'T USE A BRIDGE.

Helinora, Texas Ghost town

THOMPSONS, TEXAS 8 miles from Duke Was also Thompson's Switch

The Cane Belt Railroad built a line from the Thompsons Switch community in 1930. It was soon purchased by Gulf Coast and Santa Fe Railroad [G C & S F RR] and ran south to Long Point, Guy, SENA JCT [Junction with Texas and New Orleans Railroad], Mooredale and on to Wharton County to the New Gulf sulphur plant at Bowling.

Booth, Texas Ghost town [marker] 10 1/4 miles from Duke

BRAZOS BEND STATE PARK 12 miles from Duke

Big Creek, Texas Ghost town On Sawmill Rd near BrazosBendStatePark

Crabb, Texas Ghost town 15 miles from Duke

GREATWOOD, TEXAS 12 miles from Duke

Harlem, Texas Ghost town

Richmond, Texas [marker] 17 miles from Duke

Rosenberg, Texas [marker] 20 miles from Duke

CUMINGS, TEXAS Ghost town 20 1/2 miles from Duke

PLEAK, TEXAS 19 1/2 miles from Duke

Fairchildes, Texas [marker] 18 1/2 miles from Duke

Needville, Texas [marker] 22 1/2 miles from Duke

Hanson, Texas Ghost town

LONG POINT, TEXAS Ghost town 17 miles from Duke

Guy, Texas 21 miles from Duke

Mooredale, Texas Ghost town Located south of Guy

MARLOW, TEXAS Ghost town Also Marlow Point -Located south of Needville

Boone, Texas Ghost Town Located west by southwest of Needville

In 1918 the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway built a twenty-one mile extension to Damon Mound, connecting the local sulfur, limestone, and other mineral extraction industries with Rosenberg. Texas and New Orleans Railroad abandoned the track from Guy to Damon in 1944.

Damon, Texas 22 miles from Duke

Cottonwood, Texas Ghost town

Beasley, Texas [marker] 27 1/2 miles from Duke