DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Settlement out here in what would become Garland country started way back in the 1840s — folks putting down roots, building something from scratch in the Dallas County soil. By 1846, a little community called Duck Creek had itself a log cabin doing triple duty: community center, school, and Union Church all under one roof.
That's the kind of economy that happens when you're just getting started. Early on, the town could boast a general store, a grist mill, and a cotton gin — the essentials, the bones of a working settlement. Now, Duck Creek was humming along just fine, until the year 1886 came along and changed the whole map.
The Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad laid a line straight through Dallas County — and it passed about one mile east of Duck Creek. One mile. Close enough to hear the whistle, far enough to matter.
A new town got laid out right along that rail line, named Embree, in honor of one of Duck Creek's early doctors. Then, as if one railroad weren't enough to shake things up, the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad came through and built a second line north of those Santa Fe tracks. That gave folks yet another option, and a place called New Duck Creek took shape along the MKT line.
The original Duck Creek — the one with the log cabin doing all that hard work since 1846 — started fading. Then came 1887, and a U.S. Post Office was authorized for the area, planted right between those two competing towns.
And whoever named it had ambition in mind — they named it for U.S. Attorney General A. H.
Garland. That post office site became a new town, and the earlier communities, Embree, old Duck Creek, New Duck Creek, all merged right into it. The citizens voted to incorporate in 1891, and a man named M.
Davis Williams was elected the first mayor. Garland grew through the early twentieth century, held on through the Great Depression — which is no small thing to say about any town — and then after World War II, rapid transportation and industrial growth rewrote the economic story all over again. From a single log cabin in 1846 to a city that outlasted a depression and rode a postwar boom — Garland's been earning its place in Dallas County history ever since.
What the marker says
Settlement of this area began in the 1840s. A small community named Duck Creek was established and by 1846 a log cabin was serving as a community center, school, and Union Church. Early businesses included a general store, grist mill, and cotton gin. In 1886 The Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe Railroad built a line through Dallas County, passing about one mile east of Duck Creek. A new town, named Embree in honor of one of Duck Creek's early doctors, was laid out along the rail line. The Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railroad built a second rail line north of the Santa Fe Tracks. The original Duck Creek settlement declined in favor of New Duck Creek on the MKT Rail Line. A U.S. Post Office was authorized for the area in 1887 and was positioned between the two towns. Named for U.S. Attorney General A. H. Garland, the site became a new town into which the earlier communities merged. The citizens voted to incorporate in 1891, and M. Davis Williams was elected first mayor. Garland flourished in the early 20th century and survived the Great Depression. Rapid transportation and industrial growth following World War II changed the city's economic base. Garland continues to be an important part of Dallas County history.