The Railroad Turned Cotton Into a Countywide Bet

The railroad reached Seguin in 1876 and San Antonio in 1877. Easier market access helped towns grow along the tracks and brought in fencing and heavy cotton-gin machinery. By 1900, cotton covered 59 percent of the county's improved land and the crop reached 38,960 bales.

That much cotton took a toll. In 1930, farmers planted more cotton acres than they had in 1900 but harvested only 8,266 bales. TSHA ties the slide to depleted soil, weak yields, and the Great Depression. More land then shifted toward corn and livestock, leaving a local lesson about leaning too hard on one crop.