El Campo in Wharton County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

El Campo

Photographed by Gregory Walker

1. El Campo Marker

Inscription. Begun as a camp on the New York, Texas, and Mexican Railroad in 1882, El Campo initially was known as Prairie Switch and served as a supply and shipping center for area ranchers. By the 1890s the town had grown to include a post office, homes, businesses, schools, and churches. An influx of European immigrants produced a strong ethnic heritage. Fires in 1896 and 1901 destroyed much of the downtown area, but the city rebuilt. Oil and gas discoveries in the 1930s provided an economic boom, although agriculture remains the primary local business.

Erected 1990 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1410.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 29° 11.916′ N, 96° 16.033′ W. Marker is in El Campo, Texas, in Wharton County. It is at the intersection of East Jackson Street (Business U.S. 59) and Main Street, on the left when traveling east on East Jackson Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 E Jackson St, El Campo TX 77437, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: First National Bank of El Campo (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Prairie Switch

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); El Campo Library Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); El Campo First Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Christian Church of El Campo (approx. 0.4 miles away); El Campo Independent School District (approx. half a mile away); St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Parish (approx. 0.6 miles away); Site of Pierce Hotel (approx. 4.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in El Campo.

Also see . . . El Campo, TX, article in Handbook of Texas Online. (Submitted on July 30, 2016, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas.)

Location of El Campo Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Gregory Walker, July 28, 2016

2. Location of El Campo Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2016, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. This page has been viewed 675 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 30, 2016, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.