| |
| History
in a Pecan Shell Although
there is a Borden County (in the Panhandle)
named after the same man, Borden, the village is here in Colorado County. Tiny
Gail (population 202) is the
Borden County seat. Both county and seat were named some years after Mr. Borden's
death in 1874. He never got anywhere near either place.
Gail
Borden is most
famous for originating the process of condensing milk, but in 1837 he was
a humble Justice of the Peace in the recently formed Colorado County. He had also
been a surveyor for Austin's Colony and was in the printing business in Galveston.
While in Galveston
he reportedly sold over 2,500 lots.
His
experiments in Colorado County included canning beef. Ironically, the railroad
charged more for transporting canned beef more than it did beef "on-the-hoof"and
while it was feasible, it wasn't profitable until after Borden's death. He also
worked on a "Beef Biscuit" which wasn't well received.
Borden's dairy
interests were what made him wealthy, primarily by supplying condensed milk during
the Civil War. Carnation
Dairies came to nearby Schulenburg
in 1928 based mostly on Borden's earlier choice of land. Today in Borden there's
the pictured store and no other business. Although Borden
died in Borden, he was sent back to his native New York for burial.
There are several small picturesque cemeteries in the Borden / West Colorado County
area. |
| | The
Stapleton Cemetery in far West Colorado County
TE Photo | |
|
