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History in
a Pecan Shell
Named for railroad
official John D. Rogers of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway,
the town had a population of 150 and most essential businesses by
the mid 1880s. The town was incorporated in 1899 and the newly elected
mayor (James D. King) had a two-story building constructed - with
the top floor being used as an opera house.
By 1914 the town had grown to an estimated 1,275 people. Cotton
was indeed King and in 1918 Rogers won the much-contested honor of
having shipped more cotton than
any other town or city in Texas.
The town suffered a fire in the 1920s but the population held through
that decade. After the Great Depression the town had been reduced
slightly to just over 900 people. Growth had been slow and steady,
growing to 1,420 residents by the mid 1970s. It has since declined
slightly to the present figure of 1,113. |
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Rogers, Texas
Chronicles
Bullet
Riddled Buddies
by Clay Coppedge
1930s-era gangsters Charles Frazier, Whitey Walker, Blackie Thompson
and Roy Johnson.
The Rap on Joe Tex by Clay
Coppedge
Dancer Alvin Ailey has always been considered the most famous person
to come from Rogers, but fans of that sweet soul music of the '60s
and '70s might beg to differ once they find out that singer Joe Tex
drew his first breath and sang his first words in Rogers. |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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