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The Crystal City and Uvalde railroad was built in 1909 with bonus money and land donations. J.E. Franklin, chairman of the railroad, changed the name to San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf (S.A.U. & G.), and extended the tracks toward Pleasanton. In 1912, a new town, North Pleasanton, was established at the division point by President M.E. Leming and other officials of the Nueces Valley Townsite Company to accommodate railroad employees. The division point, between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, made a suitable location for the general operating offices and machine shops, round house, etc. The two-story S.A.U. & G. Depot, designed by Henry Phelps, the architect who designed the Atascosa County Courthouse, was built in the Mission Revival Style. As the town began to grow, streets were surveyed and named, and a bridge was built over the Atascosa River to connect North Pleasanton to Pleasanton. Businesses opened along First Street, including the Gulf Coast Hotel, a post office, the First State Bank of North Pleasanton, multiple stores and other hotels. In 1914, an advertisement in the San Antonio Light newspaper named North Pleasanton as the fastest growing town in the south. In 1927, the Missouri Pacific Railroad purchased the S.A.U. & G. And the shops began closing down as the town struggled through the depression. In 1952, in an effort to improve the town, the citizens created the North Pleasanton Community Club. A new city hall, fire station, park and swimming pool were built. The residents of Pleasanton and North Pleasanton lived side by side for almost fifty years when the idea of consolidation resurfaced. Citizens voted unanimously to consolidate with Pleasanton on December 22, 1961. |
