Fowlerton, Texas
| Viviane T. Reyes | Fall, 2005 |
| U.S. History 1302 | R. Hines, Instructor |
WELCOME TO FOWLERTON
THE NEAR-GHOST TOWN: Cows and goats flourish on the green pastures along State Highway 97, a road, which was once a railway to the “near-ghost town” called Fowlerton. Fowlerton is located in the county of La Salle. It was a town of thriving agriculture, with orange and fig groves; and cotton—which was one of the biggest products in Fowlerton before—and onions. Today, the town sits with a diminishing economy. There are no more cattle or fields of crops. The restaurants, hotels, or schools are closed now. Yet a simple sound of whirling wind and rustling leaves lingers in this town, connecting its people and visitors to its past.
A BEGINNING:Before the settlers came and established the county of La Salle, mesquite, ash and oak trees thrived on its lands. There were deer, mountain lions, and wild horses. Mussels, crawfish, and alligators lived in the underground water fed lakes and streams. It has been confirmed that Indians have lived in the area during the Paleo-Indian period ( 9200-6000 B.C.) and Archaic period ( 6000 B.C. – A.D. 1000). The people hunted deer and other wild animals to survive. The Spanish arrived in the area, but did not establish a formal settlement in what is now the county of La Salle. La Salle County was formed in 1858. During this time, settlers began to find their way to the county. Prior to this date, Dull Ranch owned the land. In the early twentieth century, a part of the land was bought by James and Charles Fowler, who are the owners of the Fowler Brothers Land Company. The brothers established and developed a town which they named Fowlerton. The brothers had a vision of turning a dry land into productive and profitable farmland by building artesian wells and dams. Public transportation systems and a hotel were also built in order to attract ranchers, farmers, and land seekers to move into this new town. The brothers persistent advertisement of Fowlerton drew many people into the town. These visitors included investors. An individual was able to purchase a farmland by placing a down payment of $25.00 and a monthly payment of $10.00. By fall of 1911, several stores, a bank, more hotels, telephone systems, and streets were instituted in the town. At this time, 1,200 people lived in Fowlerton. In another three years, its population increased to 2,000. Its first school was established during this time.
FOWLERTON'S ECONOMY-ITS GROWTH AND ITS DOWNFALL:Farmland, railroads, and the cotton gin were the main sources of Fowlerton’s economy many years ago. An expensive water system was installed. Two dams were built in order to provide water for irrigation. Farmers prospered at one point of time. After the harvest season, crops were sold to neighboring and farther towns. Farmers and storeowners would wait for the train in order to transport their goods. Unfortunately, trains frequently arrived late, which caused the fruits and vegetables to rot. For this reason, it was nearly impossible for the farmers to make money out of their harvests. The railroad was eventually replaced with a highway, which is now called the State Highway 97. After 1917, a devastating incident occurred. One of Fowlerton’s dams broke. A large amount of land was without water. The people of Fowlerton drilled wells in order to irrigate their lands. Unfortunately, the water turned salty. The massive amounts of salt in the water made it useless for home and farming use. The soil hardened; the farmers were not able to till their lands. There were no crops to be harvested. Fowlerton’s water was so bad that the residents could not use it in their households. Rainwater was used in cooking. Some people were able to go to their neighboring towns to obtain good water, but because of hard economic times, many residents had no choice but to use salt water—many had to drink it. In addition, the Great Depression was at its peak; it placed Fowlerton in a much worse economic position. Vegetable farmers were obligated to cut back on their crop growing; cotton production plunged. Economic resources declined and there was no work. These economic tragedies caused the majority of the residents to file lawsuits against the Fowler brothers. They were accused of false marketing practices. Many residents moved out of Fowlerton. Within less than 10 years after the famine, Fowlerton began to collapse. The population of 2,000 decreased to 600. On the other hand, those who did not leave found a way to survive the town’s economic dilemma. Cattle ranching was started and it became the primary economic activity in Fowlerton. The Mission Oil Company conducted exploration in the town, which yielded some oil and gas production. It has been stated that small planes would stop in Houston Street, which was Fowlerton’s main street, to refuel. In spite of these economic resources, a majority of Fowlerton’s residents chose to work out of town.The residents were managing to improve their livelihood when suddenly, the flood from the storm of 1932 occurred. Houses, people, and cattle were washed away. The only dam that was working in the town broke. This calamity placed Fowlerton in its worst economic crisis. After the flood, the town’s population dropped from 600 to 300. There were only very few businesses that were left in town. With the town’s terrible water system, poor farming and ranching, and diminishing oil fields, the population of Fowlerton continued to drop. The town had its first electricity in 1946. However, this technological change did not help the town from its drowning state. By 1964, there were only 200 residents in town. After eight years, there were only 100. Today, there are only 15 families in Fowlerton. There is only one store, a cemetery, a Baptist church, and a post office in the town today. School institutions closed down due to low population rate. The children of Fowlerton these days attend the schools of Tilden and Cotulla, which are neighboring towns. There were several churches in the town before. There was a Catholic church and there was a Methodist church. According to Mr. C.W. Marley, an original resident of Fowlerton, “…when the people left, so did the churches.” The main source of economy in Fowlerton today is hunting. Since a new water system was built in the town a couple of years ago, some people farm. However, it is deer hunting, which is keeping the town alive.
Flood of 1932
ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRIAL CHANGES:When the highway replaced the railway, transportation of goods became easier. However, this change would have been much profitable had it happened prior to Fowlerton’s economic crisis. Electricity did not do much for the residents before. Due to storms, lamps and candles were more useful; electricity frequently went out during rainy seasons. Today, electricity is more beneficial; residents need it to run most of their home appliances such as microwaves, dishwashers, and other appliances, which they never had before. A couple of years ago, a new water system was also built providing the residents with water of better quality. It was built on a hill where Fowlerton’s first school was established. Fowlerton’s post office and only store, which is called Fowlerton Mini Mall, are located along the State Highway 97. Fowlerton’s oldest cotton gin, deer storage, old Catholic Church, and old school still stand today. Ruins of its gas station, bank, and land office building are located along Houston Street. It still has its old cemetery and park; both places are very hard to locate.
US Post Office in Fowlerton
RACE:According to the United States Census Bureau, the majority of Fowlerton’s population is white. Very few are Hispanics. There are no black residents. According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2000, 95.16 percent of the town’s population is white. There is no reported number of multiracial people, Asian, Native American, Black American or Pacific Islanders in the town. There are 4.84 percent of other races, which may include Belizeans or people of Hispanic origin as Puerto Rican. During the peak of Fowlerton’s economy, whites owned the farmlands, ranches, and businesses. Hispanics worked at the plantations and railroads. Although there are no black Americans in Fowlerton today, there were some blacks in Fowlerton before. They worked at the plantations and railroads as well. No form of racial discrimination has been known about the town. However, only the white Americans were able to have their own businesses. Minorities and blacks worked for the white Americans.
UNUSUAL EVENTS:Fowlerton has two very interesting and bewildering stories. The first story involves rich white families, who owned great plantations. Their houses were found burnt to the ground. Nobody knew how it happened. Some people believe that the planters’ children caused the fire. The children were playing with matches and were left unattended, which caused the incident. Several questions may be asked regarding the fire. First, how can big houses, which are far from each other, burn at the same time? Second, why did the families leave town at the same without filing any lawsuit against anyone or questioning the burning of their homes? And lastly, how is it possible for several children to be playing with matches all at the same time with very similar consequences? The second story involves two sharecroppers. There was a murder. A sharecropper owed another some money. He refused to pay, which cost him his life. The other sharecropper attacked and killed him at his own house. It is very unfortunate that very little information was given and is known regarding these incidents.
THE FUTURE OF FOWLERTON:A question lingers on—can Fowlerton’s new water system help it go back to its lucrative agricultural state? Although Fowlerton has a good source of water today, no farmers are willing to plant within the town. Salt has created too much damage in the soil, which makes it very hard for farmers to work with the land. Even more people have left Fowlerton. Because of the growing industry and technology, Fowlerton’s youth would rather live in bigger cities and experience the real world rather than staying in a “nearly-ghost town.” This is a large contribution to the town’s possibility of survival. Its chances to grow are very slim. There is no hospital, police station, and fire station in the town, which can make it very difficult for the residents in case of emergencies. However, there are still those who are more than happy to stay in Fowlerton. Mr. C.W. Marley stated, “I’m staying here in the bushes and hide.” Although the town does not offer economic success, it offers peace. Fowlerton has a very low rate of crime. In addition, the residents do not have to put up with bad traffic every single day.
A MEMORY:As one walks along Houston Street, one can see the tall post, which was a part of Fowlerton’s grand bank. An old and rustic fire hydrant still sits on Fowlerton’s rigid, brittle, and stony ground. Parts of the town’s gas station, drug store, and office building still stand behind the tall grass fields. One can walk along this street and realize that there was once a time when this road was as busy as Southwest Military Drive. There were hotels and stores. There were bakeries and restaurants. Fowlerton was a flourishing town and unfortunately, it is resembles only a ghost today. Fowlerton is only seen as a representation of economic growth, economic tragedy, and economic death.
Mr. C.W. Marley
INTERVIEW WITH MR. C.W. MARLEY:
The purpose of this interview was to acquire historical information about the town of Fowlerton. The date was the 4th of October 2005. I have interviewed Mr. C.W. Marley, who has been a resident in the town of Fowlerton for 79 years.
Viviane: Tell me more about yourself Mr. Marley.
Mr. Marley: About myself? I’m nothing but an old man. I went to school in the old school house up on that hill. I went through sixth grade; and I worked around all the ranches until I was 16. Then I left and went to work in the oil field. And I put a lifetime in the oil field—worked different positions in different places; all up and down the coast—New Orleans—Southwest Texas—what have you. But, I’ve had a home address here all my life.
Viviane: Tell me how it was like to grow up in Fowlerton.
Mr. Marley: It was good. There were a lot of kids. There were a lot of people here—a lot of kids—a lot of good schools. We had a lot of pictures. We got to go and get tickets for the show. You can get popcorn and a big soda for a quarter. It was a good life. My daddy worked in the railroad. There was a railroad here then. He worked there for 43e years. Two years after he retired when it started going down. This place just kept going down—down—down. People were moving out.
Viviane: Tell me about the main source of income in Fowlerton before.
Mr. Marley: Well, it was mostly ranch work. Cattle. After the dam on the river broke, the land was left without water system or irrigation. Then, they drilled a bunch of wells on each side of the river and that took care of the farmers for a while. But then, the water turned salty. When the salt came in, people moved out. A lot of them took what they could carry then left. Then, oil field started in this area—that and the ranching. That was all about it. A lot of people left here. A lot of people worked out of town. Some of them worked in San Antonio for a week, and then came home on the weekend. It did go up for a little bit for a year or two. But then, it directly went back down. Three or four families moved in; three or four families moved out.
Viviane: How different is the economy of Fowlerton then to its economy now?
Mr. Marley: Well, there are still some oil fields here—some farming. There is bit hunting. Now, and the last few years, the main thing has been hunting—deer hunting.
Viviane: According to the Handbook of Texas, Fowlerton rapidly declined in 1917 due to drought, low commodity prices, and marketing problems. Why did the drought take place?
Mr. Marley: When we had the bad drought, see, there was no rain. The cattle and the goats, whatever, there was no market price for them. A lot of people went broke; and so did the market. During the drought a lot of people left here. There was no work. Ranchers couldn’t hire anybody because there was no price for the cattle. The land was too dry for farming; there were no crops raised.
Viviane: How did the residents of Fowlerton deal with its water problem?
Mr. Marley: Well, they used the saltwater for household. A lot of people started to drink the saltwater. Some used rainwater for cooking. It wasn’t until five or six years ago when we had the new water system. And, we have good water now.
Viviane: How did the drought and marketing problems impact the education system here in Fowlerton?
Mr. Marley: There were a lot of people who left here looking for work. That’s when a lot of kids left here. When the drought came, it hurt everybody. People who had a lot of money and a lot of cattle went broke. There was a depression. Schools closed down.
Viviane: Tell me about the Flood of 1932.
Mr. Marley: The river went all the way around and up where the little store and the post office are. It was just a little island here. There was no way in and no way out. I’ve seen snakes and armadillos—everything on the river was here because there was no other place to go. It washed lots of houses away and lots of cattle. The dam broke in one place and the river went around the other dam. It went from bad to worst. There were horses, and cows, and houses, and people, and everything else coming down the river. It flooded Tilden—all the way to the coast.
Viviane: Tell me about the people of Fowlerton then. Were there any minorities or blacks living in this area?
Mr. Marley: Well, not very many. Once in a while, there will be a couple or something like that. It’s usually just one. They worked in the ranches. There were mostly Spanish. Most of them worked in the railroads. And really, there were not very many of anyone of them. This town is a very small place. There are no racial problems or anything like that.
Viviane: In other words, you are telling me that you haven’t heard of any racial discrimination in this area at all?
Mr. Marley: No. Everybody had to scrape out of living.
Viviane: Tell me about the cotton gin.
Mr. Marley: One of the biggest products here at one time was the cotton. And the cotton gin was right on the side of the railroad track. They’d ship the cotton around here on the railroad. There was a lot of cotton around here at one time.
Viviane: When did Fowlerton have its first electricity?
Mr. Marley: We had our first electricity here in Christmas Eve of 1946.
Viviane: Could you explain to me how did the lives of the residents changed because of this technological change?
Mr. Marley: There was not a whole lot of change in here. Everybody put their lamps away and stocked them in the counter. But every time you would think you had it made, a little rainstorm comes by and the lights will be out. Every time lightning came around, electricity would go off—sometimes for a day or a little while, and sometimes two to three days.
Viviane: What was the main religion here in Fowlerton many years ago?
Mr. Marley: Well, it was more Baptist than it was anything else. There were Christians and Catholics.
Viviane: Did religion play an important role in people’s lives here in Fowlerton?
Mr. Marley: Oh yes. But when the people left, so did the churches. We only have the Baptist church now. There were more Baptists than Catholics.
Viviane: Are there any mysterious or interesting stories about this town?
Mr. Marley: A lot of people went off and left. There were about five or six families. Their big nice homes—burnt. Maybe some people set the houses on fire or maybe their kids were playing with some matches. Nobody knew.
Viviane: How many families are living here now and what is the highest population rate here in Fowlerton?
Mr. Marley: Probably about 15 families live here now—about 40 people. Before, there were 3,500 residents here; that didn’t last very long.
Viviane: Is there anything else that you would want to tell me about that I haven’t asked you yet?
Mr. Marley: There is one murder here that I can remember. A man had a café up there. He was sharecropping a land out here with another man. He went to the man who owed him money. That man wouldn’t pay him back so he went to his house and killed the fellow.
Viviane: Did you ever think of leaving this town?
Mr. Marley: Well, I left it two or three times; but I always came back. My children—when I retired—one of them told me to move to Corpus, the other told me to move to San Antonio, and the other told me to move to Austin. I said, “No! I’m staying here in the bushes and hide.” I never cared about moving in a big town.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
Behind the tall grass and bushes is a part of Fowlerton's old bank.
This photograph shows Fowlerton's old school, which was closed down due to the town's continuous population decline.
This is Fowlerton's new water system. On this hill, was the town's very first school house.
This is the town's old Methodist church.
This is the town's old Catholic church.
This image shows the town's old cotton gin.
LINKS:
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Casto, Stanley D. Settlement of the Cibolo-Nueces Strip: A Partial History of La Salle County. Hillboro, Texas. 1969. · This source has informed me about the development of La Salle County; this is the county where the town of Fowlerton is located. It included information regarding the county’s first settlers.
Hester, Thomas R. Digging Into South Texas Prehistory: A Guide for Amateur Archeologists. San Antonio, Texas. 1980. · This publication has allowed me to compare and contrast the way of life in the county of La Salle before, during, and after the nineteenth century.
“Fowlerton, Texas.” The Handbook of Texas Online. Leffler, John. 06 June 2001. 07 September 2005. · Although not much information is provided in this site, this source introduced me to the interesting town of Fowlerton.
Ludeman, Annette Martin. La Salle: La Salle County—South Texas Brush Country—1856–1975. Quanah, Texas. 1975. · This source has informed me about James and Charles Fowler, who are the founders of Fowlerton.
Marley, C.W. Interview by Viviane Reyes. Fowlerton, Texas. 5:00 pm. 04 October 2005. · This interview has given me a majority of information regarding the economy and tragedies in Fowlerton.
National Geographic Guide Map Texas. June 2001. · This source has provided me a detailed road map to the town of Fowlerton.
US Post Office. Fowlerton, Texas. · Old, yet still standing, this is one of the only two establishments in Fowlerton. Many of Fowlerton’s oldest photographs are available in this landmark. Return to Small Town Research Projects Index