Page 17 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2023 - Online Magazine

Slaton
History

Co unity Slaton, Texas

PROUD TO FEED

A BOOMTOWN

Is Born

by Cathy Jewell Long

he intriguing sound of a train Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.
whistle invokes fond childhood In those days, passenger
Tmemories for many Americans, and freight service was
but the town of Slaton, Texas owes the very heartbeat of the
its very existence to that sound and economy, and the town
to the Santa Fe Railway. In the early thrived on both the railroad
1900s, the Santa Fe was in need of and agriculture.
a new division point for servicing was a very nice, elegant place to eat
the trains going through Northwest Fred Harvey partnered and stay the night.
Texas. Slaton had officially become a with the Santa Fe Railway in 1876
town on June 15, 1911. People came and created the Harvey House The town continued to grow and
from far and wide on foot, horse and hotel/restaurant chain, bringing it thrive, opening businesses such as
buggy, wagon, and train to settle in to Slaton and paying $75,000 for the a cotton gin and mill, hotel, banks,
what had previously been called a construction of the Harvey House in grocery stores, and hardware
treeless, desolate waste where no Slaton in 1912. The hostesses were stores. The first church was the
man could ever permanently live. called “Harvey Girls.” The young Methodist Church, which opened
Slaton became known as “Tent City” ladies had to be of strong, reputable its doors in June of 1911, with other
because residents lived in tents while character; they exemplified good
houses and businesses were being manners, dressed well, and had a
built. The town was named after local good education. They offered great
rancher and banker, O.L. Slaton. He food and hospitality to the men who
was instrumental in getting the Santa worked on the railroad, as well as to
Fe Railway to create jobs there, and it train travelers. The Harvey House
brought with it dreams of a fresh start in Slaton had a library and reading
and new opportunities. room, offices, a place to play cards,
living quarters, and a total of eighteen
Located in the Southeast corner of bedrooms and bathrooms. It even had
Lubbock County, Slaton is considered electricity, plus hot and cold water. It
a suburb of Lubbock, located only
fifteen miles away. One of the
interesting things about Slaton is
how the streets are laid out. The
design of the town is credited
to Santa Fe chief engineer, J.W.
Walter. He was from Chicago,
and it was his idea to design this
little dry, West Texas town similar
to Washington DC, which is laid
out in a wagon wheel pattern. It
Community is built generation by generation, seemed appropriate. The town grew
quickly, becoming the center of the
gathers locally and unites one another. Shop United largest division of the Atchison,
for all your community gatherings.

Lubbock Senior Link 17