Les Cockrell

The dedication of a Texas Historical Marker commemorating the role of the railroad in the history of Sanger will be the highlight of several special events planned for Saturday.

“The Texas Historical Commission awarded the marker to recognize ‘Sanger and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway’ as a significant part of Texas history,” Beth Stribling, marker chairwoman for the Denton County Historical Commission, said in a press release.

The dedication ceremony, sponsored by the county historical commission and the city, will start at 10 a.m. at 100 Bolivar St.

Speakers will include Idaleene Scheu Fuqua, who will give a brief history of the Santa Fe Railway in establishing Sanger, and Tona Batis Payne, president of the Sanger Area Historical Society. The two researched and wrote the historical narrative submitted to the Texas Historical Commission.

Courtesy photo/Idaleene Scheu Fuqua

A locomotive arrives in Sanger in 1939 at a brick platform, with the Sanger Cotton Gin on the east side of the tracks. In 1887, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway connected its tracks with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe in what is now Oklahoma, beginning many years of passenger service through Sanger.

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Denton County Historical Commission Chairman Bob Montgomery and Stribling will recognize Fuqua, who led the efforts to obtain the marker, Payne and Sanger City Manager Mike Brice with certificates of commendation. Special guests will be donors who contributed to the $1,600 cost of the marker, and Francis Flitten Hollingsworth of North Richland Hills, one of a group of women employed by the Santa Fe Railway during World War II who were later called the “Santa Fe Girls.”

Sanger originated in 1886 at milepost 392.16 as a water stop along the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, according to historical information supplied by Stribling. Construction of new CG&SF tracks began in April 1886, reaching from Fort Worth through what would become Sanger and on to Purcell (now Oklahoma) Indian Territory.

Because of its proximity to North Denton County cattle ranches and the Chisholm Trail, a side track, cattle pens, loading chute and a depot were added at the water stop site.

Courtesy photo/Jim Bolz

The Sanger Mill and Elevator Co. was organized in 1897, and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was instrumental in the company’s distribution throughout Texas. The mill produced 200 barrels of Silk Finish Flour daily, in addition to processing cornmeal and mixed feeds. The railroad was beneficial to Sanger’s industry and growth.

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The town that followed was originally called both New Bolivar and Huling, until railroad officially named it in honor of Sanger Brothers, a prominent Texas dry goods firm. By 1892, the town was incorporated.

Sanger was where “the rail met the trail,” Fuqua said, and the marker should help newcomers gain a better understanding of the area’s history.

“It was the railroad that built Sanger,” she said. “We’re trying to restore to Sanger its point of origin, which is needed badly.”

Stribling agreed that the marker will be an important addition to the city.

“Sanger has several markers already, but they have not had a marker that was really for the town of Sanger and its relationship to the Santa Fe railroad,” she said. “Really, without the railroad, there would not have been a Sanger.”

Stribling praised the dedication of Fuqua, Payne, Brice and others who worked to make the marker a reality.

“It was a big project,” she said. “There’s a lot of history there. We are so pleased to get it.”

“My heart is full because this is something that Sanger needed desperately,” Fuqua said. “A lot of people worked very hard to do it.”

Parking for Saturday’s event will be available at Second and Elm streets.

For more information on the marker program, contact Stribling at 940-2523 or gbstribling@verizon.net, or Roslyn Shelton, the county commission’s administrative manager, at 940-349-2860 or roslyn.shelton@dentoncounty.com.

Side trips

The 32nd annual Sanger Sellabration will get under way with a street dance at 9 p.m. Friday and continue Saturday with the Sellabration Street 5K, a barbecue cook-off and live entertainment.

Also on tap Saturday is the 24th annual used book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Sanger Library.

Located at the downtown Sanger square park, the Sellabration is a gathering of local businesses, vendors and nonprofit groups, said Lynn McCaughan, Sanger Area Chamber of Commerce administrator.

A stage will offer entertainment including gymnastics groups, a dog contest and local bands.

Registration for the 5K will begin at 6:30 a.m., with the race beginning at 7:30 a.m. Advance registration is available through Thursday at the chamber.

Registration for the cook-off, offering divisions for meat (chicken, pork ribs and beef brisket) and pinto beans will be on Friday morning, with cooking to begin Saturday morning.

For more information, contact the chamber office at 940-458-7702 or sangerchamber@embarqmail.com or visit www.sangertexas.com.

The Friends of the Sanger Library book sale will be in at two locations. Books for older readers will be available in the meeting room of the library, at the corner of Fifth and Bolivar streets, and children’s books and videos will be available at the gazebo in the park on Bolivar Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets.

The sale is set for 8 a.m., and a half-price sale begins at noon. Teachers can shop for free books beginning at 4 p.m., and anyone can shop for free books beginning at 4:30 p.m.

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The annual Jerry Alexander Memorial Golf Tournament sponsored by Chapter 920 of the Vietnam Veterans of America is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. Saturday, and there is still time to sign up and help a good cause, organizers said Friday.

“We’ve got room for three or four teams,” said Larry Crossman, chairman of the event.

This year’s tournament, a four-person scramble, will be played at the Northern Challenge Golf Club near Sherman. Entry fee is $400 per team.

Awards will include $500 for the first-place team, $400 for second place, $300 for third place, $75 for the longest drive and $50 for closest to the pin. A hole-in-one award is sponsored by Bill Utter Ford. Door prizes, food and beverages will be available.

Proceeds help the chapter fund many community programs, said Mark Hannah, former chapter president.

“This is the fundraiser of the year for our chapter,” he said.

Golfers who would like to help the cause should call Crossman at 940-391-1547.

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The Lake Cities Writers Group will host author Lynn Weiss from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Lake Cities Library, 302 S. Shady Shores Road in Lake Dallas.

Weiss, who has written 14 nonfiction books and other works, will share her experiences and expertise with attendees, said Rebecca Belknap, library director

“We’re really fortunate to have Lynn Weiss,” Belknap said. “The meeting is open to anyone with an interest in writing.”

Space is limited, and those interested in attending should call the library at 940-497-3566.

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If you’ve ever wondered how to find out more about your family’s history, a program planned by the Denton County Genealogical Society for 7 p.m. Thursday could be a worthwhile addition to your calendar.

Guest speaker will be genealogist Patti Gillespie of Decatur, whose talk is titled “Family Search Indexing: Online Worldwide Research.”

“There will be something in her talk for the beginner through the advanced genealogist,” said Mel Brewer, the group’s publicity chairman.

Gillespie’s presentation will be offered as part of the society’s regular monthly meeting in the conference room of Emily Fowler Central Library, 502 Oakland St. in Denton.

The public is invited to attend. For more information, contact Brewer at mbrewer233@verizon.net or 940-566-9369.

LES COCKRELL is interested in your input for Out & About. Help share information about Denton County events and people by calling him at 940-566-6887. His e-mail address is lcockrell@dentonrc.com.