Editing Texarkana, Texas (section)

==History==

Railroads were quick to see the possibilities of connecting markets in this vast area. In the late 1850s, the builders of the Cairo and Fulton Railroad were pushing their line steadily south across Arkansas. By 1874, they crossed the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] and reached the Texas state line. Between February 16 and March 19, 1874, trains ran between the Texas border and the Red River, whence passengers and freight were ferried north to [[Fulton, Arkansas]] to continue by rail. The Red River Bridge opened on March 20, 1874. Since then, trains have run directly from Texarkana to [[St. Louis]], Missouri.

Keen rivalry existed between the 1870s railroad builders. The [[Texas and Pacific Railroad]] reached across Texas to the Arkansas state line. The border was the logical place for the different railways to connect. On December 8, 1873, the Texas and Pacific sold the first town lots for the future city. The first buyer was J. W. Davis,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/opinion/editorials/story/2018/dec/08/happy-birthday-texarkana-our-hometown-145-years-old-today/755700/ |date=December 7, 2018 |title=Happy Birthday, Texarkana: Our hometown is 145 years old today |work=[[Texarkana Gazette]] |access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> who purchased the land where today's Hotel McCartney now stands on the Texas side of the border, opposite Union Station which is split between both the Arkansas and Texas border.