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IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THIS FIRST
The number at the end of a description corresponds to the endnotes index that you can access starting at 1975. The population numbers are all from 9. If the date for a time entry is January 1st, that means the exact day could not be ascertained, rather it occured in that year. Also, I encountere many dates where the evnt happened in a certain decade, for clarity I opted not to use those events so any event onthis timeline happened in the year it is put. -
Houston Population: 4,845
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Period: to
A history of streetcars
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The dawn of the streetcar.
In 1868, the small, but growing town of Houston (population 9,000) gets it's first public streetcar. The Houston City Railroad Company runs a mule car down McKinney Street. The city's first streetcars were merely mule-drawn carriages that were pulled along a track. 2, 5 -
Houston Population: 9,332
9 (I used this link for all my population estimates, the Wikipedia link in turn is linked to the government census website). -
Sustained Tolley Service Arrives
Rather then being merely a novelty, the mule-car steadily gains popularity as a way for Houstonites to escape the oft-muddy, unpaved streets. 1, 5 -
Houston City Street Railway Company is founded
Operating until 1896, The HCSRC was the first company to inrtoduce electric streetcars to Houston, doing so in 1891. Debt would eventually force the company to be sold at foreclosure. 2 -
Houston Population: 16,513
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Houston City Street Railway begins road paving.
The Houston City Street Railway began paving Commerce Street. 7 -
Houston Population: 27,557
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First Electric Streetcars
On this day, the Houston City Street Railway Company opened the first electric streetcars to the pride of Houston's citizens. 2, 4 -
Houston Electric Street Railway Co.
On this day, The Houston Electric Street Railway Co. was incorporated after absorbing the Houston City Street Railway Company. The Company continued to grow the system until piling debt forced it into foreclosure in 1901. 2 -
Houston Population: 44,663
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Houston Electric Company
Came into existence after absorbing the Houston Electric Street Railway Company. Came to operate all of the streetcar track in Houston. 2 -
Houston's black citizens organize boycott
After Houston passed Jim Crow laws in 1903, outraged black citizens organized a boycott of the HECo. streetcars, severly hurting the company financially (the black community made up 14% of the HECo.'s patrons). 1 -
End of African-American boycott
The Afrcian-American boycott fizzles out, having not met organizers goals of fair seating on public transportation. 1 -
Houston Population: 78,800
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Opening of the Interurban route to Galveston
A new streetcar track opens connecting Houston to Galveston. 10 -
Official opening of new Houston Ship Channel
President Woodrow Wilson officialy opens the new Houston Ship Channel. This channel enables Houston to become the main U.S. port in the Gulf of Mexico, greatly improving Houston's economy. -
Dangers of Streetcars
Houston Electric Co. David Daly posts ad in Houston Labor Journal warning of the dangers of catching hold of a streetcar while riding a bicycle, ostensibly to "safeguard Young America." 13 -
Along comes the Jitney
The Houston Electric Company faces stiff competition from unlicensed taxi cabs called Jitneys. Charging a nickel for far, they quickly eat into the streetcars profits. 6 -
Houston Population: 138,276
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End of the Jitney
In response to threats of litigation, Houston's city council bans Jitneys in exchange for promises of new track and bus services from the HECo. 1 -
Houston Electric Co. introduces buses.
The Houston Electric Co. introduces public city buses to Houston, whose increased mobility and cheaper cost would eventually replace the streetcar network. 1, 5 -
Close Call at the Bus Barn
On this day, the Houston Electric Companies entire fleet of new buses was nearly destroyed. The buses had been in storage in preperation for their debut when the warehouse they had been stored in burned to the ground. Luckily, the buses had been moved out on March 29th! -
Peak extent of streetcar track
Houston's streetcar system extends for 91 miles and 80% of Houstonites report using public transportation. 4, 5 -
The Beginning of the end.
The Houston Electric Co. ceases building or exteding any further track for streetcars. 1 -
Houston Population: 292,352
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Major Streetcar to Bus conversion.
For roughly $2 million dollars (over $32 million in todays currency!) The Houston Electric Company converts many of it'sstreetcar lines, including the North main, San Felipe, and Port of Houston streetcar lines into bus routes. 1 -
End of the Interurban run to Galveston
Today marks the last run of streetcar service to Galveston, public buses would replace the route. 10 -
Houston Population: 384,514
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The Decisive Meeting
Today Mayor Oscar Holcombe (2nd from teh right) reached an agreement with Houston Electric Co. executives to cease operations of all trolleys and operate only bus lines, the streetcars fate was sealed. 1 -
End of the Streetcar
On June 8, 1940, the Houston Electric Company and the cityof Houston ran this advertisement celebrating the full switch from electric streetcars to gas-powered buses. On this day the long and storied Houston streetcar came to an end...until it was resurrected as the METROrail over 60 years later. 12 -
Houston Population: 596,163
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Endnotes Index 1-3
- Stephanie Fuglaar, “The Streetcar In Houston”, Houston History Magazine 10/13/10, http://houstonhistorymagazine.org/pdfs/v5n2.pdf
- “Houston Trolleys”, Last modified March 30, 2012. Accessed 11/17/2013 http://www.texastrolleys.com/texastrolleys.com/Houston.html
- Andrea Afra, The Jitney Jinx, Free Press Houston, August 9, 2010, Accessed 11/27/2013
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Endnotes Index 4-5
- Jessica McElroy, “Who Killed the Houston Streetcar? Part 2”, April 16, 2011 Accessed 11/20/2013
http://houstontransit.blogs.rice.edu/2011/04/16/who-killed-the-houston-streetcar-part-2/ - Lucas Wall, “From mules to light rail, city linked by transit”. Houston Chronicle, September 29, 2003
http://www.chron.com/default/article/From-mules-to-light-rail-city-linked-by-transit-2126589.php
- Jessica McElroy, “Who Killed the Houston Streetcar? Part 2”, April 16, 2011 Accessed 11/20/2013
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Endnotes Index 6-9
- Steven M. Baron, Houston Electric: The street railways of Houston, Texas (Houston, Texas: Synnott Books, 1996)
- News, Houston Daily Post (MF), April 6, 1882, 4.
- Steve B, Lessons from the era of streetcars, 2008, http://www.chron.com/news/gallery/Lessons-from-the-era-of-streetcars-25342/photo-1449388.php
- “Houston, Demographics: Historical populations”. Last modified 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston
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Endnotes Index 10-13
- “Galveston-Houston Electric Railway”, Last modified 09/22/10 Accessed 12/4/13 http://members.iglou.com/baron/interurban.htm
- Steve B, Houston Streetcar History Pages, 2010 http://members.iglou.com/baron/photos.htm
- ‘Houston goes “BUS”’, The Houston Post (MF), June 8, 1940
- Ad, Houston Labor Journal (MF), 1/9/1915
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Houston Population: 2,100,263
From humble beginnings come great things (Houston Population 1850: 2,396) -
Streetcar Treatise
Star pupil Rory Ginsburg writes a stunning profile on the Houston streetcar.For his efforts he is given a book deal from Penguin publishing and is rumored to be on the short list for the Nobel Prize in literature.
