Dodge

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of Dodge, Texas. Back in 1872, the Houston and Great Northern Railroad was laying track through Walker County, and a man named W. J.

Johnson saw his moment. He gave land for the railroad right-of-way, but he wasn't giving it away free and clear. No sir.

Johnson had one stipulation: build a station at the new settlement. The railroad needed the land, Johnson needed that station, and just like that, a deal was struck. The town got platted right along the tracks, and they even named the streets for the early pioneers of the area.

Now that's how you make sure history remembers you. The settlement came together fast. A school went up.

Then two churches. A Masonic lodge. A bank.

A cotton gin. Several stores. Dodge was becoming a real town, the kind that puts down roots and means to stay.

And then, after 1900, it got another feather in its cap. A rail line from an Oakhurst sawmill was built right out to Dodge, hauling lumber down to the main line for shipment. W.

J. Johnson gave some land and asked for one thing in return, and what he got was a whole town growing up around that station. Not a bad trade.

What the marker says

The town of Dodge was established in 1872, when the Houston and Great Northern Railroad built a line through this area. W. J. Johnson gave land for the railroad right-of-way with the stipulation that a station be built at the new settlement. The town was platted along the tracks, with streets named for early pioneers. Dodge soon had a school, two churches, a Masonic lodge, a bank, a cotton gin, and several stores. After 1900 a rail line from an Oakhurst sawmill was built to transport lumber to the main line at Dodge for shipment.