On Jan 24, 2023, at 4:23 PM, Dennis Hogan <denmeg_hogan@...> wrote:

Interesting short story here about a special mix material made for right-of-ways.
I wonder where those pit lakes are and the Collin County historical marker.
Cotton Belt's gumbo gravel

On Jan 24, 2023, at 6:48 PM, Dennis Hogan <denmeg_hogan@...> wrote:



[Edited Message Follows]

Interesting short story here about a special mix material made for right-of-ways.
I wonder where those pit lakes are and the exact location of the Collin County historical marker.
Cotton Belt's gumbo gravel

On Jan 25, 2023, at 8:35 AM, Jason Lee Davis, PhD <jason@...> wrote:



The Texas Midland made gumbo for the initial construction of their line in the late 1890's and into the early 1900's.  One known Gumbo Pit was in Delta County near the community of Enloe, just north of Cooper.  The attached description can be found in the Patterson Museum, housed in the former Texas Midland Depot in Cooper, TX.

-Jason Davis

 Klondike, TX

<jdk061021-18.jpg>

On Jan 25, 2023, at 9:07 AM, Jason Lee Davis, PhD <jason@...> wrote:



I brought up Google Earth and it seems the pits/lakes are still readily identifiable just to the north, and a bit west of Josephine.  See attached GE screenshot.
The original, northernmost pits are named Cooks Lake.  It appears there may have been a spur built to the pits off the main line in Josephine.
I was unable to find an historical marker in the vicinity of the pits on Street View.

I have not been able to locate TM's Enloe gumbo pits on Google Earth.

Cheers,
-Jason Davis
 Klondike, TX

<SSW Gumbo Pits - Josephine, TX.jpg>