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Dilley
water tower
Photo by John Troesser |
History
in a Pecan Shell
With all of the strange place names in Texas, perhaps this is the
only town to be named after the first man to step off a train. The
first man in this case was George M. Dilley of Palestine,
Texas. Maybe it was the first rich and influential man to step
off the train, for George was the president of Dilley Foundries -
the firm that made the rails for the International and Great Northern
Railroad, or at least the portion that went to Laredo.
If the legend is true, then there are many far worse names that Dilley
could've taken. Darlington was Dilley's working title when George
showed up. It's not known if a Mr. Darlington stepped off an earlier
train.
Before the railroad, stray longhorns were driven to Kansas up the
Chisholm trail, and this provided an income for the few residents
in the area. Later, irrigation provided a way to produce produce.
They referred to this as truck farming to avoid sentences like the
last one.
Our source states that in the 1920s tourists would ride the train
from San Antonio
to "enjoy the winter sunshine." Today we're not impressed with being
60 miles closer to the equator, but evidently they were in the 20s.
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Watermelon
Photo by John Troesser |
Dilley
Today
Dilley has fewer
citrus trees and more production of watermelons and peanuts. An oil
boom occurred in the 1970s/ 80s. A large watermelon in the city park
adds Dilley to the roster of towns that have larger-than-life animals,
vegetables and minerals on their squares (Floresville,
Seguin, Hidalgo,
Ft.
Stockton et. al.). |
Dilley
Attractions
The lobby of the
Dilley State Bank has a gallery of Texas landscapes in oil.
Dilley Tourist Information
Chamber of Commerce: Miller and Main Streets - 830-965-1742
Book Your Hotel Here & Save:
Dilley
Hotels |
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1935
Flood scene of the Frio River north of Dilley, Texas
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Dilley,
Texas Forum
Subject:
Enjoyed Dilley, Texas website
I had to locate Dilley in association with my job duties and was
very impressed with your Dilley, Texas website. I look forward to
visiting with my family someday to say we've been to Dilley. Thanks
for the smiles this morning. - Renee Zeller, Katy, TX, September
29, 2006
© John Troesser
Our source for Dilley Information was Little Towns of Texas, Jayroe
Graphics, Jacksonville, Texas, 1981
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