Denison in Grayson County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Photographed by Mansfieldphoto.com, August 11, 2024
1. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Marker
In 1865 the Union Pacific Railway Southern Branch was incorporated to build a railroad from the St. Louis-Kansas City area to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1870, with construction completed to the border of Indian Territory, the line was renamed the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad. This title was often shortened to M-K-T, which led to the familiar nickname by which the line is best known -- "The Katy."
Following the route of an old cattle trail, the Katy became the first railroad to cross Indian Territory, now the State of Oklahoma, and enter Texas from the north. On Christmas Day 1872, over 100 passengers rode the first Katy train into Denison, a new townsite named for M-K-T Vice President George Denison. The construction and acquisition of branch lines soon extended the Katy east to Greenville, west to Rotan and Wichita Falls, and south to Galveston and San Antonio. By 1904, the system had over 1,000 miles of track in Texas. The railroad transported cattle, cotton, and other crops to market. It also carried passengers on such trains as the "Texas Special" and the "Katy Flyer" before passenger service ended in 1965.
Today (1975) Denison is a division headquarters on the M-K-T and the home of about 600 railroad employees.
Erected 1975 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.
Location. 33° 45.335′ N, 96° 32.108′ W. Marker is in Denison, Texas, in Grayson County. It is at the intersection of Houston Avenue (State Highway 120) and Main Street, on the right when traveling north on Houston Avenue. Monument is on the west grounds of the former Union Station passenger depot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 East Main Street, Denison TX 75021, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region. 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 South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); Katy Park Rededication (a few steps from this marker); Signal Company Texas 36th Inf. Div. Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Waples-Platter Grocery Company (within shouting distance of this marker); North-South Railway Connection (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The E. M. Kohl Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); XXI Club (approx. Ό mile away); St. Patrick's Catholic Church (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Denison.
Also see . . .
1. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. (Submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Katy Railroad Historical Society
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 7, 2014
2. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Marker
3. Red River Railroad Museum, Denison TX. (Submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 7, 2014
3. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,002 times since then and 42 times this year. Last updated on April 7, 2014, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1. submitted on June 23, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. 2, 3. submitted on April 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
