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Electric railways (trolleys) provided convenient travel between many Texas cities for more than forty years. The first Interurban Line was established in Grayson County, connecting the cities of Sherman and Denison. Founded in 1900 by Fred Fitch and John P. Crerar, the Denison and Sherman Railway began operations on May 1, 1901, with a single 10.5-mile track. The company built a power plant, offices, and a car barn near this site halfway between its passenger stations in the two cities. In order to provide water for the power plant, they built a dam below Tanyard Springs, creating a small lake. Named Wood Lake, it provided recreational facilities for passengers on the line's excursion trains. The Texas Traction Company, founded in 1906, began construction of a second Interurban Line from Dallas to McKinney in 1906. Merged with the Denison and Sherman Railway in 1908, the company expanded its operations, eventually connecting a number of north Texas cities and changing its name to the Texas Electric Railway in 1917. The advent of automobile travel signalled the decline of the Texas Interurbans by the 1930s. The last train passed this site on December 31, 1948, on its route from Denison to Dallas. |
