Editing Mills County, Texas (section)

=== Railroad ===
[[File:Ca. 1900 Goldthwaite, Texas, train depot.jpg|thumb|Second passenger depot in Goldthwaite, Texas, c. 1898-1911<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=The Goldthwaite Eagle - March 16, 2022 |url=https://1318.newstogo.us/editionviewer/default.aspx?Edition=cc20b128-15a8-4d8c-8420-2c324bd79a7b |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=1318.newstogo.us}}</ref>|left]]
[[File:Santa Fe passenger depot, Goldthwaite, Texas, ca. 1920.jpg|left|thumb|Third passenger depot in Goldthwaite, Texas, c. 1915-1920<ref name=":22" />]]
The railroad had a profound impact on the development of the county.<ref name=":6" /> In 1885, the [[Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway|Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad]] laid tracks through Goldthwaite, Pegtown, and Mullin, then onto Brownwood, bypassing Williams Ranch and Center City, both of which had anticipated being stops.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=The Goldthwaite Eagle - March 2, 2022 |url=https://1318.newstogo.us/editionviewer/default.aspx?Edition=f80d799f-c564-40f8-9451-3e0c27c2fc8d |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=1318.newstogo.us}}</ref> The primary impetus for the railroad to pass through the county was to reach San Angelo livestock markets.<ref name=":24">{{Cite web |title=The Goldthwaite Eagle - December 28, 2022 |url=https://1318.newstogo.us/editionviewer/?Edition=cf8df216-52ea-43b7-841f-93759cee2ca4&Section=0 |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=1318.newstogo.us}}</ref>

The railroad created Goldthwaite and Mullin, similar to about twenty other townsites the railroad platted and auctioned along its path.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":12" /> On September 2, 1885, two years before Mills County formed, a GC&SFR train made a stop at Goldthwaite (then in Brown County), and on that day Thos. W. Jackson, Santa Fe Land Commissioner, begin auctioning lots that would be the foundation of the town.<ref name=":1" /> On December 31, 1885, regular train service began in Goldthwaite, with the town serving as a division point.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blackwell |first=Hartal |date=1985 |title=Railroad Held Promise for Many |journal=The Goldthwaite Eagle}}</ref> By 1886, the railroad was the largest employer in the county, with thirty-six in its workforce.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Goldthwaite Eagle - May 11, 2022 |url=https://1318.newstogo.us/editionviewer/default.aspx?Edition=31bab42b-0c65-4ce1-aaff-ba12a4a770a1 |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=1318.newstogo.us}}</ref> In 1905, the railroad boosted land ownership and farming in Mills County by offering employees the option to purchase land along its tracks through payroll deductions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Goldthwaite Eagle - December 21, 2022 |url=https://1318.newstogo.us/editionviewer/?Edition=6f8bf65f-5407-4633-a389-c52b53c95f47&Section=0 |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=1318.newstogo.us}}</ref>