Another RR Depot

The historic Gainesville Santa Fe Railroad Depot in Gainesville, Texas.

It has two historical plaques. The first plaque reads:

Santa Fe Passenger Depot

By the end of the 19^th century Gainesville was established as one of the state’s major rail centers.

This depot was built about 1902 to handle the increased traffic on the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad. The red brick structure contained a Harvey House Restaurant until 1931. Although railroad use declined after World War II, this depot stands as a reminder of Gainesville’s importance in Texas’ early economic growth. – Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1983.

Gainesville - Fort Sill Road

 The 2nd one shown here reads:

The U.S. Cavalry constructed roads to improve logistical routes in the west during the 19^th century. Henry O. Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point, was an officer in the Tenth Cavalry Regiment “Buffalo Soldiers” at Fort Sill, Indian Territory (Oklahoma). By late 1879, Fort Sill required a more significant railroad town than nearby Caddo Station, and the army placed Flipper in command of building a road from Fort Sill to Gainesville. Two years later, the railroad reached Henrietta and replaced Gainesville as a Fort Sill supply town. Neverthe less, the construction of the Gainesville-Fort Sill road is a historic example of the Buffalo Soldiers’ contributions to the west’s economic development. 2006