Hopkins Co. TX - History of Saltillo - by Bedgood From: June E. Tuck ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** From the files of June E. Tuck, who does not validate or dispute any historical facts in the article. The following article was written by Mrs. Perry Bedgood of Saltillo and read at a Centennial party given by the Saltillo Home Demonstration Club a the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Sparks. It was sent to Sulphur Springs news paper for publication, request of many of the citizens of Saltillo. June 1936 HISTORY OF SALTILLO About 1877 a railroad bed was graded for a narrow gauge railroad where the present railroad now stands. This stood for almost ten years before the work for the present railroad was begun. When the first train came through, people came from far and near to see it. All the land owners who had given land for the right-of-way of the railroad were permitted to have a free trip on the first train that came through. The first depot agent was Mr. Jeff Arthur, who was also the first postmaster, the father of our present postmaster, Mr. Rua Arthur. The next depot agent was Mr. John Hatchel, who served for a long time. Two of our other depot agents later were Tom Holbert and J. T. Sparks. The railroad section house was one of the first houses in Saltillo. A Mr. Scott was the first section foreman. The Jennings family was among the first families to live near Saltillo. They first moved in 1874 to where the A. W. Sparks farm north of Saltillo is. In 1876, they moved to where the Mrs. Lee Turner^Òs farm is. At this time Mrs. Sophie Arthur was little six-year-old Sophie Jennings. Some of their neighbors were : the Rev. Pharr, a Baptist preacher, living where the J. R. Dodson ranch now is. Rev. Pharr was the grandfather of Oliver Pharr of Sulphur Springs; Wash Ray, living where the J. T. Swinford home is; Bob Ray, living where Walter Swinford lives; Mrs. Huffman lived where the Foster farm now is, she being the grandmother of Mrs. Betty Foster of Leonard, who now owns the farm. During the early part of Mrs. Sophie Arthur^Òs childhood, the Baptist Church at Stout^Òs Creek was just a log cabin. Miss Sophie Jennings was married to Jeff Arthur, June 24, 1889, and moved to the home where she now lives; rearing her family of whom two of her sons are prominent business men of our fair city. Ephrium (sic) Majors bought in 1879 a tract of land from Dr. Smith where the downtown business section of Saltillo now stands. Where the home of Rua Arthur now is was a small house known as the Bud Ray House. Mr. Majors built a home here and moved his family there in 1889. He was a blacksmith from 1890 to about 1900. During this time Jeff Arthur was the first merchant. Two other early merchants were John Hatchel and Billy McGill, now of Sulphur Springs, and father of Ernest McGill, one of our citizens. Mr. Majors^Ò grandson, Arthur Doyal, now of Grant, Okla., was the first baby born right in Saltillo. Mr. Major died in 1908, and Mrs. Majors in 1925. The Sparks family moved here July 4, 1883, where the J. R. Dodson home is now. Mrs. Dodson was the only daughter of Tuck and Fanny Sparks. A. W. (Minnow) Sparks, in whose home this Centennial Party is being given, is the younger son of Tuck Sparks. Mr. Sparks bought this vast tract of land from Mr. Spraddling (sic,) the father of one of our citizens, Mrs. Laura Franks. The night after the Sparks family moved in, neighbors from miles around gathered in for a big dance. Some of the other early families were the Bennetts and McAfees; southwest Saltillo. The Bennett descendants make up a greater part of our population today. Uncle Billie Roberts, a former school teacher, lived south of Saltillo where he still lives; John Taylor Griffith, the father of Clyde Griffith, lived near where the pump station is. The Kings were prominent early settlers. The Whittens lived about two and one-half miles northeast but in the late 1890's moved to town just a few paces south of where the Whitten home now is. Mr. John, who died a few years ago, was much loved by his neighbors and friends. Mrs. Whitten still lives here and can do more work than the average woman much younger. The first school at Saltillo was in the Stout^Òs Creek Baptist Church. In about 1889 a school and Masonic building was built where Tracy Williams^Ò home now is. Prof. W. E. Riddle was the first teacher. A number of years later a Masonic Hall was built where Grady Gists^Ò filling station now stands. A school building was built in front of A. W. Sparks^Ò old home. Then in 1912 a modern two-story building, where the present building now stand. Prof. J. J. Roberts being at the head of a three-teacher school. In 1930 a very modern brick present building was constructed, with Prof. J. Q. Wiler as Supt. of eight teacher school. The Gulf Pine Line Company built an oil pumping station one mile southeast of Saltillo in 1908, which has been active ever since. Around about 1908 the business district was composed of the following merchants: Finis Lester, also postmaster, J. D. Arthur, J. T. Sparks, Enos Majors and Edgar White. The first cotton gin was built at the present site in the early 1890's by Blocker & Davis. The following owners were: S. Loving, Sr., Ball Bros., Seith King, A. S. Johnson & Sons, Bennie Williams & Son, and no by Tracy Williams.