DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — and it's a story worth tellin'. R. R.
Smith. The initials stood for Ralph Roy, but folks called him Railroad. Railroad Smith, born in 1880 in Gonzales County, to Alexander Frohock and Mary McGill Mathews Smith.
Now, a man who picks up a nickname like Railroad either moves fast, goes far, or leaves a trail behind him. Railroad did all three. Around 1907, he rolled into Atascosa County, hung out his shingle as a lawyer, and — because apparently one profession wasn't enough — got into the newspaper business with a cousin.
That right there should tell you something about the man's appetite. Then, in 1908, he ran for the Texas House of Representatives. And he won.
During the Thirty-First Legislative session, Railroad Smith — freshman lawmaker, small-town attorney, newspaper man — solely sponsored a bill creating the Texas State Library and Historical Commission. Not co-sponsored. Not helped along.
Solely. He'd go on to serve again in 1911 and again in 1921, so this was no one-term wonder. But here's the thing about Railroad Smith that really says it all.
In 1909, he moved his newspaper from Pleasanton to Jourdanton. And then in 1910, he turned around and became a strong advocate for moving the entire county seat from Pleasanton to Jourdanton. When Railroad Smith decided a town needed something, he didn't just talk about it — he packed it up and moved it himself.
He died in 1944, and this county still sits with Jourdanton as its seat. Make of that what you will.
What the marker says
R. R. "Railroad" Smith (1880-1944) was born in Gonzales County to Alexander Frohock and Mary McGill (Mathews) Smith. Around 1907, Smith moved to Atascosa County where he opened up a law practice and entered into the newspaper business with a cousin. Smith successfully ran for the Texas House of Representatives in 1908, and during the Thirty-First Legislative session he solely sponsored a bill creating the Texas State Library and Historical Commission. Smith served later terms in 1911 and 1921. Smith moved his newspaper from Pleasanton to Jourdanton in 1909 and was also a strong advocate of moving the county seat from Pleasanton to Jourdanton in 1910. (2009)