dallashistory

Link to Article: http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/d ... c9c61.html

Article:

Sanger Native Pursues Historical Marker Honoring Railroad

10:32 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 12, 2009
By Les Cockrell / Region Editor

Idaleene Scheu Fuqua has fond memories of 1936, the year of the Texas Centennial.

“I was in the sixth grade, and it was a good year to be in sixth grade because we studied Texas history,” Fuqua said.

It also was the year that the Sanger youngster decided to enter an essay contest sponsored by the Denton County Historical Commission.

“Children were invited to write an essay on Denton County,” she said. “I wrote one, and guess what? I won first in the county. My prize was a check for five dollars.”

Her father, Fred Scheu, showed her how to endorse the check and then took it to the bank to be cashed. When he returned, he had five silver dollars.

“He told me, ‘I know if I give it to you in silver, you’ll never spend it,’” she recalled. “He was right. I still have those five original silver dollars.”

Fuqua, now 85 and a resident of Denton, remains vitally interested in the history of Denton County, and last week she presented Sanger City Manager Mike Brice with a packet of information she compiled on the history of the Santa Fe Railroad in the Sanger area.

“That took about two years,” she said. “I did a lot of research.”

Brice and other officials will now take the information and prepare a formal application to the Texas Historical Commission for a plaque to commemorate the railroad’s role in Sanger’s heritage.

Fuqua said the goal of the project is to preserve a part of the area’s history that has been too long neglected.

“Sanger is growing fast,” she said. “Many new arrivals are unaware of the city’s background.”

Brice said the historical marker application will be completed and turned in by the Nov. 1 deadline. The state will begin accepting applications Sept. 1.

“To get a marker from the state, a city has to sponsor the application,” he said.

Payment for the plaque must accompany the application, Fuqua said.

“We are now accepting tax-deductible contributions for this effort,” Fuqua said.

Contributions can be made at Sanger City Hall, 502 Elm St., or mailed to: City of Sanger, P.O. Box 1729, Sanger, TX 76266.

Each contributor will receive a photo of the plaque dedication, and all contributors’ names will be placed in the Sanger library, Fuqua said.

Although she no longer lives in Sanger, Fuqua still considers the city her home.

“My brother and I both graduated from Sanger,” she said. “We may not be there physically, but it’s home. I want to stay involved.”

Fuqua is well-versed in railroad history. Her father came to Sanger in 1916 as a rail-telegraph agent for the railroad and later became station master at Sanger. He retired from the railroad in 1946.

Her research for the historical plaque project provided plenty of details about the development of the rail line and the founding of Sanger in the 1880s. It was at mile post 392.16, she said, that railroad executives decided that a source of water would be needed for their steam engines.

A deep well was dug, providing the necessary water, but the location had another benefit, Fuqua said. This point on the tracks was only about three miles from the Chisholm Trail, so railroad executives knew it would be an ideal location for shipping cattle.

A depot was constructed, and the promise of cattle trade attracted other businessmen to the area near mile post 392.16, Fuqua said. The early arrivals soon determined that the location needed a name.

Two suggestions were rejected for one reason or another, and while a third suggestion was mulled, the Santa Fe Railroad picked a name — Sanger.

As the city grew, Fuqua said, the railroad continued to play a key role in its progress.

“The early 20th century saw Sanger become a commercial center,” she said.

The years after World War II, however, brought new changes that eventually lessened the railroad’s role in the community.

“We all thought the Russians were coming,” Fuqua said. “But we were not invaded by the Russians. We were invaded by a small wooden box with glass on the front.

“We were invaded by the TV.”

Television commercials of the era urged Americans to take to the roads to see the U.S., Fuqua said, and the growing popularity of automobile travel and the construction of new highways began to impact rail travel.

“With the advent of auto travel, passenger service was in big trouble,” she said.

Fuqua is hopeful that Sanger can soon commemorate the railroad’s role in its history, although she understands that supporters will have to wait out a lengthy review process.

Current plans call for the plaque to be placed in a small park area to be constructed along East Bolivar Street where the Santa Fe and city property adjoin, officials said.

As for those five silver dollars, Fuqua said she has finally found an ideal use for them.

“I intend to sell those and use the proceeds as my contribution toward the plaque,” she said. “I can’t think of a better place to put that money.”

End of Article

Hope they get the marker. Depending on dates and condition those five silver dollars are probably worth at least $50-55 these days, and potentially - a lot more....