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For Daniel Buckley’s sacrifice in the 1836 Battle of Goliad, the Republic of Texas granted his heirs some 2,200 acres on the west bank of the Trinity River, in what became Ellis County. In 1871, his widow sold Alsdorf Faulkner (1838-1901) some of her land. In 1882, Faulkner deeded a 150-foot strip of land for the construction of the Texas Midland Railroad. The railroad added a stop at Sand Lake, and it soon became a popular destination for camping, fishing and hunting. Subsequent owners sold land to the U.S. Government next to the Trinity River and to the Ellis County Levee District. Landowner Homer Newton Chapman (1891-1931) installed a water system for the growing town of Sand Lake in the early twentieth century.
The town had a blacksmith’s shop, grocery store and post office, icehouse, some forty houses and a cemetery. The town’s two schools, one for white students and one for black students, also held occasional church services. The community remained rural in nature. By 1938, Miles Durham Glaspy (1871-1955) and his son J. Roy (1900-1980) had acquired Sand Lake Farm plus additional land amassing 3,300 acres. The land produced cotton, wheat and maize crops, but was home to a large cattle operation as well. By 1940, the community had over 200 residents.
The community suffered levee breaches in 1942 and 1946, the latter of which washed out the railroad tracks. The community of Sand Lake did not recover, and most of the population moved to other areas. Later uses of the land have included extensive sand and gravel mining. (2023) |
