Editing Temple, Texas (section)

==History==
[[File:Temple railroad heritage museum 2012.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The historic Santa Fe Depot]]
Temple was founded as a [[railroad town]] by the [[Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad]] (GC&SF). The settlement began in 1880 as a GC&SF construction camp called Temple Junction. In January 1881, a post office was established, and the settlement was officially named Temple, after Bernard Moore Temple, the chief civil engineer of the GC&SF. The town was incorporated in 1882.<ref name=TSHA-Temple>{{cite web|last=Smyrl |first=Vivian Elizabeth |title=Temple, TX |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/temple-tx |website=tshaonline.org |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |date=August 13, 2020 |access-date=October 12, 2024}}</ref>

Also in 1882, the [[Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway]] built through the town, and soon after, the GC&SF made Temple a division point.<ref name=TSHA-Temple/> In its early years, Temple was a town of shacks and tents with a large number of saloons and tough characters found in the early West. Locally, it was nicknamed "Tanglefoot" because some residents found that the combination of muddy streets and liquor made walking through the town challenging.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Very shortly after the town was incorporated in 1882, two private schools were founded in the city: the Temple Academy was organized and a public school was established in 1884. In 1893, the annual Temple Stag Party began, growing out of a private [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] celebration attended by some of the town's leading men. It was held until 1923.<ref>{{cite web| author=Texas State Historical Commission| title=Temple, Texas Historical Marker| url=http://www.stoppingpoints.com/texas/sights.cgi?marker=City+of+Temple&cnty=bell
}}</ref> 

The city became home to numerous medical clinics and the Santa Fe Hospital and Scott and White Memorial Hospital; the two hospitals merged in 1983<ref>{{cite web |title=Scott and White Memorial Hospital |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/scott-and-white-memorial-hospital |website=tshaonline.org |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |date=February 19, 2019 |access-date=October 12, 2024}}</ref> and now form the [[Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple]]. Temple's position as the largest city in Bell County was earned largely on account of its medical facilities and its importance as a major railroad junction.<ref name=TSHA-Temple/>

In 1886, the GC&SF was purchased by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Werner |first=George C. |title=Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/gulf-colorado-and-santa-fe-railway |website=tshaonline.org |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |date=January 23, 2020 |access-date=October 12, 2024}}</ref> popularly known as the Santa Fe Railroad or simply the Santa Fe. The Santa Fe's Temple depot was the site of the largest [[Harvey House]] restaurant in Texas, and the Harvey House organization also operated a dairy and vegetable farm near the city. Harvey Houses provided meals for Santa Fe passengers during stopovers and were also popular with local customers. The chain was famous for its high-quality food and its iconic uniformed all-female "Harvey Girl" waitstaff.<ref name=Harvey>{{cite news |last=McLeod |first=Gerald E. |title=Day Trips: Harvey Houses helped settle the West and were the travelers' best friend for 92 years |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2010-08-27/1073571/ |work=The Austin Chronicle |location=Austin |date=August 27, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2024}}</ref> 

The Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum, on the second floor of the Santa Fe Railroad depot at 315 West Avenue B, commemorates the significance of railroads for the city<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rrhm.org/exhibits_overview.php|title=Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum website|website=Rrhm.org|access-date=27 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723151338/http://www.rrhm.org/exhibits_overview.php|archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref> and includes a large collection of Harvey House memorabilia.<ref name=Harvey/>