HomeMy WebLinkAboutCollege Station Development Newspaper Articleespite the hot sun, hun-
dreds of people begin to
gather and grab seats on the
long, backless benches.
Most had traveled for days
just to experience this dependable natural
phenomenon.
Alive with eager expectation, they chat
amiably with their neighbors, or check their
watches, or simply stare silently at the puffs
of steam rising into the air. No one will leave
until Old Faithful once again has released its
pent -up power from beneath the earth —
sending a glorious, boiling fountain more
than 100 feet into the summer air.
Almost to the predicted moment it hap-
pens.
"Oohs" and "aahs" mingle with the sounds
of escaping steam and splashing water.
Exclamations of delight and amazement are
shouted in a dozen languages.
In a few minutes, it is all over. Some
observers climb onto buses and continue
their journeys through the magnificent
West, not regretting for an instant that they
have come so far to witness so brief a show.
Others stay around awhile, strolling the
carefully laid boardwalks that criss -cross a
surrealistic landscape, where bubbling pools
and steaming geysers remind them that the
Earth is not a solid, stable place. Still others
spend several days, even a few weeks,
exploring the vast and varied region of
northwestern Wyoming known as
■ Editor's Note: As the new millennium
approaches, it is an appropriate time to look
back on our community and reflect on where
we have come from. In this continuing series
of articles from the archives of The Bryan -
College Station Eagle, we will look back at
those historical moments. This installment
looks at development of the area surround-
ing the Texas A &M University campus. It is by
Gary Halter, a former mayor of College
Station who teaches political science at
Texas A &M University.
Off- campus development
From the late 1870s until the 1940s,
the economic, social and academic life
of Texas A &M College and what was to
Yellowstone National Park.
Here lies one of the few landscapes on the
planet where the ever - moving core of Earth
reveals itself, startlingly and often unpre-
dictably, occasionally springing new vents
in parking lots or redirecting the paths of
streams.
You can feel the power all around as you
explore this vast land of geysers, steam
vents, boiling springs and bubbling mud
pots. Yet, if you look closely, you also will
see just how apparent is Earth's fragility.
You will discover how many ways humans
have impacted what once seemed an inde-
structible wilderness of natural wonders.
People have been gathering to watch Old
Faithful since long before its naming by the
explorers of the 1870 Washburn Expedition.
Congress had the good sense to protect 2.2
million acres surrounding the dependable
old geyser.
But while Old Faithful still gushes, the
brilliant blues of the Morning Glory Pool
have receded over the years from coins and
trash tossed into its deep spring. Cars and
buses clog the roads and pollute the air.
Still, Yellowstone National Park remains
the premier of America's natural treasures.
The place to begin when visiting, of course,
is a visit to Old Faithful. Times of its predict-
ed eruptions, usually about 80 minutes
apart, are posted in the visitor center.
See YELLOWSTONE, Page D8
college Station's development gai
become the city of College Station were
inseparable. While the Board of
Directors (now Regents) of Texas A &M
encouraged off - campus housing devel-
opment as early as June 1877, little
development occurred for the first 50
years.
The directors did lease three acres of
land to Henry Parson (the local post-
master) for the purpose of opening a
general store. The lease was provision-
al on "no sale of intoxicating liquor
being sold on the premises."
Other subsequent postmasters also
leased land and a small commercial
area developed in the area now know as
Northgate.
However, only a limited amount of
THE MILLENNIUM PROJECT
2000
WILD TH
Every once in a while
Yellowstone catch glim
(above). The park is a
bears, moose and wolv
reintroduced into Y
THE BRYAN - COLLEGE STATION EAGLE
-
off-campus housing developed until the
1920s. (Parks, op cit)
Access to Bryan, where both housing
and businesses were available, was
hampered by the lack of an adequate
transportation system. Travel on the
rail link was hampered by an inade-
quate schedule of trains. The road sys-
tem was typical of the day, a dusty,
unimproved road that did not encour-
age da'
aratin
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ysers, steam
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Irth's fragility.
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is naming by the
burn Expedition.
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Mute the air.
.al Park remains
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NSTONE, Page D8
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THE MILLENNIUM PROJECT
2000
THE BRYAN - COLLEGE STATION EAGLE
off campus housing developed until the
1920s. (Parks, op cit)
Access to Bryan, where both housing
and businesses were available, was
hampered by the lack of an adequate
transportation system. Travel on the
rail link was hampered by an inade-
quate schedule of trains. The road sys-
tem was typical of the day, a dusty,
unimproved road that did not encour-
WILD THINGS
Every once in a while, visitors to
Yellowstone catch glimpses of bison
(above). The park is also home to
bears, moose and wolves, which were
reintroduced into Yellowstone.
age daily travel over the five miles sep-
arating Bryan and the college.
In 1900, a bicycle path was construct-
ed along the railroad tracks, but it fell
into disrepair after a few years. By 1910,
a gasoline - powered "interurban" rail-
way was constructed to link the campus
and Bryan. It followed a route closely
approximating present -day Cavitt
Drive and entered the campus in the
Northgate area.
In the early 1920s, the Development
Corporation developed 66 acres of land
south of the campus in the present
Bryson Park area, and the college sup-
plied water and electricity lines to the
development. This was the beginning of
College Station.
TRUE COLORS
Morning Glory Pool, located in
Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin,
has lost much of its brilliance because
of trash and coins that have been
thrown in. But the pool still gives off
sparkling hues of blue.
WALK THIS WAY
Boardwalks, many constructed of
recycled materials, provide access to
parts of Yellowstone that otherwise
would be impossible to view on foot.
The paths wind throughout the regions
of steam vents and hot springs
(above) and convenient trails provide
breathtaking views of the Grand
Canyon of the Yellowstone (left).
velopment gained steam in 1920s
In 1932, the Oakwood Realty
Company also began developing prop-
erty on the south side of the campus.
The college supplied utilities. Garbage
was collected by a "man from
Wellborn" who was affectionately
called "Mayor Wash Findly." (Parks, op
cit)
Also, during the 1930s, the College
Hills Company developed the Eastgate
area. The business area on the north of
the campus continued to grow and
develop.
Smaller commercial areas developed
on the south and east sides of the cam-
pus.
See GROWTH, Page D8
Brazos Sunday
Growth
(Fromm
The growth in these areas was
encouraged by an enrollment
increase. The number of stu-
dents increased from 3,000 in
1934 to 6,000 in 1938. Also, the
Agricultural Experiment
Station, extension services and
the Texas Forest Service were
expanded or created, providing
further growth. This, in turn,
caused off - campus housing to
grow.
In September of 1938, the
Board of Directors ordered all
faculty and staff to move off cam-
pus by September 1941. The col-
lege was getting out of the hous-
ing business.
As J. Knox Walker put it, "In
1940 -41, the diaspora was franti-
cally under way, and perhaps, in
late 1940 the first of the campus
houses were purchased and
moved: by the middle of 1941,
they had begun carting them off
seriously.
Time was running out in 1941.
World War II would shut down
building completely."
It was not until the 1960s that
the last house was moved off
campus.
NEXT: City government
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