|
 Wylie
N 33° 00.771 W 096° 32.366
14S E 729851 N 3655401
Texas Historical Marker noting the origins of Nickelville, TX, and its evolution into the city of Wylie that we know today. Located in the City of Wylie Park at South Ballard and TX 78, in Wylie.
Waymark Code: WMNPJ5
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/14/2015
Views: 8
Marker Number: 17547
Marker Text:
Located in south central Collin County, Wylie and Nickelville began as settlements on the west side of the East Fork of the Trinity River. Pioneers began arriving in the area in the early 1850s, attracted by the plentiful water supply from the river, the productive soil of the Blackland Prairie and the offer of land grants by the Peters Colony. By 1883, a post office named Nickelville opened next to a drug store and, by 1885, there were three churches, the post office, a hotel and the Nickelville school. The town moved to a new location in 1886 when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad Company tracks were constructed just a half a mile north of Nickelville. That June, the name changed to Wylie in honor of Colonel W.D. Wylie, the railroad right-of-way agent.
The town quickly began to grow with new businesses and a steady flow of railroad employees. In 1887, the town incorporated and elected the first mayor, John Howard Picket from Nickelville. The next year, the St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad began construction in Wylie. Both railroads drastically changed the economy and landscape of the area, increasing agricultural production and spurring business growth. In the 1920s, onions became a staple crop in Wylie, eventually garnering the title, "Onion Capital of the United States." Clothing manufacturing, the completion of Lake Lavon in the 1940s and the construction of a highway connecting Wylie to Dallas and Garland led to more growth in the area. In 1981, the TV series Dallas began filming in Wylie. The location of Wylie and its appealing resources have attracted residents since the mid-nineteenth century. (2013)
Marker is Property of the State of Texas
|
Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
|