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EAGLE LAKE,
TEXAS
Colorado County,
Central Texas S
Highway 90A and FM 102
15 miles SE of Columbus
50 miles SW of Houston
26 miles NW of Wharton
Population:
3,664
Eagle
Lake Area Hotels - Book Here & Save
Columbus
Hotels
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Parade
Float in downtown Eagle Lake
Photo Courtesy Nesbitt Memorial Library # 01619 |
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Like
Gertrude Stein said about Oakland (California, not the Texas town
in Colorado County) - "When you get there, there's no there there."
If you're traveling to Eagle Lake expecting to see a lake - you might
want to bring a tall step ladder. There is indeed a (1,400 acre) lake
there - and it is indeed called Eagle Lake, but it's private property.
A smaller lake called Lower Lake sits below Eagle Lake - also privately
owned.
The town dates from 1821 when scouts of Stephen F. Austin reportedly
killed an eagle here. There's also a colorful legend about an Indian
chief's daughter and two handsome suitors, but it sounds fanciful
when compared to the more probable naming by Austin's scouts. |
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"The
Baby Eagles" Rhythm Band c. 1941
Photo Courtesy The Nesbitt Memorial Library #01950 |
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Eagle
Lake High School Band
Photo Courtesy Nesbitt Memorial Library # 1707 |
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First Day of
School 1935
Photo Courtesy Nesbitt Memorial Library # 01793
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In
March of 1838 land along the lake was granted to one Patrick Reels.
Two others held previously issued grants along the lakeshore. In the
1850s Gamaliel Good acquired most of the land and then sold 600 acres
to DeWitt Clinton Harris, who sat on the board of the Buffalo Bayou,
Brazos and Colorado Railway.
The two became partners and planned a town here. Situated between
Austin and prsent-day Houston,
it couldn't miss. The railroad arrived just prior to the Civil War.
After the war, when the railroads were expanding all over the state,
Eagle Lake became a railroad crossroads. The Cane Belt, San Antonio
and Aransas Pass, Southern Pacific and later the Santa Fe all had
a presence in Eagle Lake. The Santa Fe depot still stands - as a privately
owned building. |
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Eagle
Lake Rod and Gun Club "Courtesy Vehicle"
Photo Courtesy Nesbitt Memorial Library # 01629 |
| Sugarcane
was a cash crop after the Civil War and the planting of rice was introduced
in the 1890s. The mills have been long gone, but grain elevators and
rice dryers are still present - although several are vacant. The town
remains popular with hunters who come for the ducks and geese. |
"Abandoned,
but still standing in November, 1996, Tower 115 in Eagle Lake sits
silently as an eastbound Southern Pacific freight rumbles by on the
Sunset Route headed for Houston. The tower was razed shortly after
this photo was taken." - Photo courtesy Jim King
See Railroad
Interlocking Towers of Texas |
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Abandoned
elevator near Eagle Lake.
December 2003 |
Eagle
Lake Forum
Anyone
wishing to share history or photos of Eagle Lake, Texas, please contact
us.
© John Troesser |
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