Nixon in Gonzales County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Southern Pacific Railroad Promotes Nixon Townsite

Photographed by Mansfieldphoto.com, November 15, 2025

1. Southern Pacific Railroad Promotes Nixon Townsite Marker

Inscription. As the railroad approached the Nixon Ranch in 1906, a deal was struck with the Nixon family to develop a new townsite. A Southern Pacific Railroad photographer soon arrived on the scene to take pictures of the townsite and its new buildings. These pictures were included in the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio RR Immigration Guide of Western Texas. This publication and its pictures were then distributed all over the United States. It was no wonder that settlers arrived here from as far away as Ohio and Alabama.

By the end of the first year, Nixon boasted 17 businesses, which included a cotton gin, a cotton platform, a railroad depot, cattle shipping pens, a school, and a bank on the 268 acre townsite.

Captions
(Photo #1) D.N. Campbell's Nixon camp.
(Photo #2) First Nixon State Bank.
(Photo #3) Looking east from the Nixon State Bank first location.
(Photo #4) Buildings along Highway 87.
(Photo #5) Photo taken in the early days of Nixon.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.

Location. 29° 16.092′ N, 97° 45.885′ W. Marker is in Nixon, Texas, in Gonzales County. It is at the intersection of North Nixon Avenue and E 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north on North Nixon Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 N Nixon Ave, Nixon TX 78140, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Hill Country.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum

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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Nixon Depot and Cattle Pens (here, next to this marker); Nixon (here, next to this marker); The John T. Nixon Ranch (here, next to this marker); The First Cotton Gins in Nixon (here, next to this marker); Nixon Ice and Water Company and Poultry Processing Plants (here, next to this marker); First Baptist Church of Nixon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rancho (approx. 1.9 miles away); Site of Old Town of Union Valley (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nixon.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 24, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 62 times since then and 19 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on November 24, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.

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