City Business
by Michael Leamons
Hico began as afrontier trading post located on Honey Creek some 2 ½ miles southeast of its present location. When the railroad came, community leaders heard opportunity knocking. They responded by relocating Hico to the railroad. Plank-by-plank the town was torn down, moved to its present location and rebuilt. Talk about commitment to economic growth! Through their actions, community leaders transformed Hico from a sleepy trading post to a thriving regional rail hub. Farm produce came in from miles around. Cotton was king. It’s been said there was a time when more cotton was sold on the streets of Hico than anywhere else in the world. A local lumberyard on one occasion is reported to have received a 100 railroad car shipment of lumber for distribution in Hico and the surrounding area. Old photos show downtown Hico as a hotbed of economic activity. Some reveal streets filled with wagon loads of cotton, others show smokestacks lining the railroad, while later ones show long lines ofshiny cars fresh off the assembly line.
The booming frontier city sported an Opera House and the elegant Midland Hotel. Several doctors made their home here. From many different states and even from Europe, people came to Hico. Innovation was part of the culture. About a dozen patents for farming-related inventions were filed by local residents. It was such an up-and-coming place, Unitarian Missionaries James and Mary Billings located their denomination’s state headquarters here; furthermore, Evangelist Mordecai Ham, under whose ministry Billy Graham was later converted, chose to launch his first Texas Crusade in Hico.
But, then, a succession of hard blows was delivered against the thriving Hico economy. Its status as a regional rail hub was lost when anearby railroad was built; the boll weevil decimated cotton production throughout Texas; and, finally, the Great Depression settled-in. World War II pulled the nation out of the Depression, but dealt yet another blow to Hico (and much of rural America) as people began migrating to the cities. In the 50’s, the local agricultural economy was hurt by a prolonged drought and the withdrawal of land from production under a Soil Bank Program (now known as CRP). Declining agricultural production resulted in the loss of the railroad. An era ended in 1951 when the last nine bales of cotton to be shipped from Hico by rail were loaded on an outbound train. By 1968, the line had been utterly abandoned.
Like those who had the vision and commitment to move Hico to the railroad, today’s community leaders are searching for ways to grow the local economy. Most recently, as has been reported here previously, the Hico Economic Development Corporation (EDC) collaborated with many local organizations and with professionals inTexas A&M’s TEEX program to develop an Economic Development Plan for Hico. Three primary resources were identified which are available for use as engines of growth: the historic downtown structures, the City’s park system and the high volume of traffic flowing through Highways 281, 6 and 220. Specific details of how to tap into those resources are included in the plan which is available either at City Hall or at
Undoubtedly, some were against moving Hico to the meet the railroad. Can’t you hear: “It’s too much trouble.” or, “What good will a railroad do us anyway?” or, “We’ve gotten along fine without one up to now.” What if the naysayers had prevailed? Hico’s glory days of the late 19th and early 20th century would never have been. Today, there wouldn’t be a Midland Hotel, Opera House, beautiful historic downtown district or City Park along the Bosque River. What’s more had it remained on Honey Creek, in all likelihood Hico wouldlong since have become a ghost town.
Usually, prosperitydoesn’t just happen. It requires planning, investment and hard work. Are you willing to support efforts to tap into those engines of growth as identified in Hico’s Economic Development Plan? Are you willing to do what it takes to pursue a more vibrant future and provide a higher standard of living for those who choose to live in Hico? If you would like to get involved, please come by City Hall or give us call. The City Council, EDC and allied entities are committed to promoting economic growth in our fair city.
May God bless Hico.