DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Lakeside Sugar Refinery in Colorado County. Now settle in, because this one's got a railroad with a name, a refinery that ended up on a whole other island, and a train called the Whangdoodle. I am not making that up.
The marker is. Let's go. Sugar in Texas is older than you might think.
The industry got its start before the Civil War — that's before 1861 — but it struggled for a good long while after the conflict ended in 1865. Then, in the late 1800s, cheaper refining methods brought the whole enterprise roaring back to life. Out in Colorado County, one of the leading figures in that revival was a man named William Dunovant.
In 1898, Dunovant and several men from Eagle Lake put their resources together and built the Cane Belt Railroad — a line designed to haul sugarcane right to the mill. Now, that railroad didn't stay small. It was later extended, it turned profitable, and in 1902 the Santa Fe Railroad came along and bought it.
That success apparently gave Dunovant all the confidence he needed, because right around that same year — about 1902 — he erected a refining plant at this very site. They called it the Lakeside Sugar Refinery. And friend, it was something.
The plant could process up to one thousand tons of cane every single day and produce five million pounds of refined sugar every year. Five million pounds. And getting all that cane from the nearby fields to the refinery?
That was the job of a train they called the Whangdoodle. I'll say it again: the Whangdoodle. Whatever you're picturing, it probably fits.
By 1910, Lakeside Mill had grown into one of the largest sugar operations in all of Texas, employing around a hundred people. It pulled in capable businessmen, among them Rudolph Wintermann and his son Oscar J. Wintermann.
The refinery was a genuine engine for the local economy — busy, productive, drawing talent and commerce into Colorado County. But then came the season of 1908 to 1909, Lakeside's very best season. And that's where the story turns.
After that peak, the sugar industry began to decline. A state law forbidding the use of convict labor drove production costs up. A tropical storm came through and damaged the refinery itself.
And then — as if the storm weren't enough — an early freeze destroyed much of the sugar crop. The hits just kept coming. By 1913, the Lakeside Refinery was sold.
By 1918, it was dismantled. And then it was rebuilt — in Jamaica. The whole operation, packed up and shipped off to a Caribbean island.
The Whangdoodle ran its last haul in Colorado County, and one of the largest sugar mills in Texas quietly disappeared from the landscape, leaving nothing behind but this marker and one unforgettable name for a train.
What the marker says
The sugar industry, which began in Texas before the Civil War (1861-65), was revived in the late 1800s by cheaper refining methods. One of the leading sugar producers in Colorado County was William Dunovant. In 1898 he and several men from Eagle Lake built the Cane Belt Railroad to take cane to the mill. Later extended, the profitable rail line was purchased by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1902. The success of the railroad encouraged Dunovant to build a refining plant for this area. Lakeside Sugar Refinery, erected at this site about 1902, processed up to 1,000 tons of cane each day and produced 5,000,000 pounds of refined sugar each year. A train called the "Whangdoodle" carried cane from nearby fields to the refinery. By 1910 Lakeside Mill was one of the largest in Texas, with about 100 employees. It stimulated the local economy and attracted able businessmen, such as Rudolph Wintermann and son Oscar J. Wintermann. After its best season in 1908-09, the sugar industry declined. A state law forbidding use of convict labor raised production costs. A tropical storm damaged the refinery, and an early freeze destroyed much of the sugar crop. Sold in 1913, the Lakeside Refinery was dismantled in 1918 and rebuilt in Jamaica.