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DODGE,
TEXASWalker
County, East Texas
FM 405, 1 mile N of US 190
10 miles E of Huntsville
78 miles N of Houston
Population 150 (2000) |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The town had its first settlers around 1825. Martin
Parmer, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was the namesake
for Palmer County was an original landowner. In 1872 Martin’s son William granted
right-of-way to the Houston and Great Northern Railroad.
In that year
the railroad built a depot, naming it Dodge Station.
Phelps-Dodge was the
company that physically built the railroad. The company also provided names for
the twin towns of Phelps and Dodge.When the post office was established in 1881
Dodge Station became Dodge.
By the mid-1890s the population was 150; by
1914 it was 500.
Dodge experienced two devastating fires. One in 1924 and
one the following year. The town never replaced the destroyed buildings.
Dodge served as a junction for the Trinity Valley Southern and IGN railroads,
for 35 years – beginning in 1901. The town was still holding out as late as 1936
when the Great Depression took its toll on the lumber industry and sawmills closed
all across East Texas.
Dodge has retained a population of 150 from 1943
until the present. |
| | A
church in Dodge
TE photo, 5-04 |
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