EL CAMPO, TEXAS. El
Campo is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 71, thirteen
miles southwest of Wharton in south central Wharton County. The Lower Colorado River Authority provides water, and several
creeks flow near the city limits. In 1882 a railroad camp
called Prairie Switch was situated where El Campo now stands
and served as a switching point on New York, Texas, and Mexican
railways. Cowboys called the camp "Pearl of the Prairies." Located
in the midst of cattle country, the camp was used by Mexican
cowboys who changed the name to El Campo in 1890. Ranching
was the chief industry, and thousands of cattle were shipped
yearly to San Antonio. Four large ranches surrounded the settlement: the Texas Land and Cattle Company (KO Ranch) to the south,
the Pierce Ranch to the east, the Herder Ranch to the west,
and the Brown Ranch to the north.
For several years El Campo had no permanent structures except
the section house and a switch serving the cattle-loading chute. In 1889 a general store was built. A post office opened in 1890. In 1892 the community had an estimated population of twenty-five,
a general store, a mill and gin, and a justice of the peace. Settlers began moving into the area and planted rice, cotton,
and corn. Hay soon became one of the chief products, and in
the early 1900s the town was the second largest hay-shipping
center in the United States. The Farmers Union Warehouse Company
was established in El Campo. A one-room schoolhouse was built
in 1891, and in 1895 an independent school district was established. By 1901 177 students were enrolled. Between 1890 and 1898 Swedish
Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, German
Lutheran, and Swedish Methodist churches were organized.
In 1896 a fire destroyed the principal business section. By
1900, 130 businesses had been rebuilt. In 1901 another fire
destroyed a large part of the town, and this time the residents
built brick buildings. El Campo Brick and Tile Company provided
building materials for many of the permanent structures. In
1901 a library was organized. The first bank was established in 1902. On June 19, 1905, El Campo was incorporated. The El Campo Ice
and Water Company was established in 1907, which lighted
businesses, streets, and homes, and made enough ice to supply
the city. The El Campo Rice Milling Company was established
in 1903. By 1904 seventy rice farms and 126 pumping stations
were in operation around El Campo. Broussard Rice Mills was
established, and in 1914 the two rice mills consolidated under
the name El Campo Rice Milling Company, now known as ELCO. At
one time rice hulls were compressed into bricks used as an experimental
building material.
The first doctor in El Campo arrived in 1890. By 1906 two funeral
homes had been established. There were 1,778 residents in 1910. The first hospital was established in 1912. The first newspaper
was published in 1894. The El Campo News began in 1928
and has survived to the present as El Campo Leader-News.
In 1931 a Czech-language paper, Svoboda, was published. It was later purchased by Culp Krueger and merged with the main
newspaper. In the mid-1930s gas and oil were discovered in Wharton
County and spawned the local petroleum and oil-service industries. The Texas Company (now Texaco, Inc.) established a
branch office in El Campo. In 1930 the town had a population
of 2,034 and 160 businesses. In 1941 the town had 3,906 residents
and 22 businesses. The population was 6,216 in 1952,
7,700 in 1961, and 9,995 in 1970.
In 1990 agriculture and petroleum-related businesses provided
the base for local economy. Crops included milo, rice, corn,
cotton, and soybeans. Three farm cooperatives were functioning. The area remained a major beef producer as well. Aquaculture
products and pecans added to the diversity. Manufactured items
included aluminum extrusion, children's clothing, nursery containers,
foam cups and containers, and valves. El Campo also has a wholesale
nursery. Much of the industrial development can be attributed
to the work of the El Campo Economic Development Corporation,
a nonprofit organization formed in 1959 to bring new industry
and stimulate growth, and to the El Campo Chamber of Commerce
and Agriculture. El Campo Independent School District covers
445 square miles and has an enrollment of 3,600 for grades prekindergarten
through twelve. In 1990 El Campo had a population of
10,511 and 294 businesses. In 2000 the population was 10,945
with 722 businesses.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: El Campo Citizen, March 30, 1950. El Campo Leader-News, 75th Anniversary Edition, August
20, 1980. J.O. Graham, The Book of Wharton County, Texas (Wharton:
Philip Rich, 1926). Vertical Files, Barker Texas History Center,
University of Texas at Austin. Annie Lee Williams, A History
of Wharton County (Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1964).
Karen H. Meinardus and Arliss Treybig |
