Austin: Transportation

No. 2 - Historical Highlights of the Capital City of Texas

Additional copies available from City of Austin Public Information Dept., P.O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767

Filed Under Transportation - T7850 - general. Courtesy Austin History Center.

 

In the earliest days, travel was restricted to walking, riding horseback, or driving a horse-drawn wagon. Roads were poor, and bridges across the Colorado River were non-existent, though the river could be forded near Shoal Creek - usually.

1839: Starke-Burgess began a stage line, running from Houston to Austin. The three-day run used 36 horses, two drivers, and cost 25¢ per mile. They made the trip twice a week.

1846: Samuel Stone began operation of his ferry at Waller Creek. The ferry at Stone's Crossing continued service into the 1880's.

Colorado River Ferry

1853: On February 23, the Travis County Court set rates for ferries. Some of the rates included: $1 for loaded large wagon & team; 50¢ for an unloaded large wagon & team; 10¢ for a man & horse: 5¢ for a man on foot: 5¢ per head of cattle; 2 1/2 ¢ per sheep, hog, or goat.

Pontoon Bridge

1869: A pontoon bridge was built across the river at Brazos Street in November, It was composed of 21 boats, overlaid with solid oak flooring and was securely anchored by two heavy English chains. The bridge was destroyed by flood waters in October, 1870.

First Train

1871: The first train came to town on the newly completed track between fourth and fifth streets. The Houston & Texas Central Railroad work train arrived on Christmas Day (or the day after), but the train was late and welcoming crowds had dispersed because of rain. The first passenger train arrived December 28, 1871. (The Houston & Texas Central later became the Southern Pacific.)

Mule-drawn Streetcars

1875: In downtown Austin the first streetcars were moving up and down Congress Avenue. A 50¢ ride on one of the mule-drawn cars was not without risk, however. On January 5, on the first streetcar's initial run, it overturned near 11th and Congress Avenue, dumping company officials into Congress Avenue mud.

1884: A permanent iron toll bridge across the river at Congress Avenue was completed. The truss bridge was expected "to stand as long as time lasts," according to the Austin Daily Statesman.

Iron Bridge

1886: The iron bridge was bought by the county and opened to the citizens for free access across the river. On June 18, opening day, 1,324 wagons and carriages crossed the bridge, white parades, a barbecue, and speeches marked the occasion.

In December of that year, County Commissioners adopted the following rules and regulations (among others) for the bridge: "No gait faster than a walk allowed. Baby carriages while crossing must be drawn, not pushed. Bicycle riding forbidden. Wagons flying banners must remove banners before crossing, No children allowed upon the bridge not accompanied by parent or guardian..."

1888: Austin Steamboat Company was chartered for $2,500 and offered runs from Congress Avenue to west of the drill grounds at Camp Mabry. The "Belle of Austin" was one of these boats.

Electric Trolley

1891: The Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company introduced electric trolley cars on Congress Avenue, and for a time the electric and mule-drawn cars competed.

1892[*]: The Ben Hur, a Mississippi-style steamboat, began making daily trips up Lake McDonald. The ship later added moonlight cruises. The Ben Hur could carry 2,000 passengers, was 181 feet long, 59 feet wide, and had twin 22-feet paddle wheels. It traveled at 15 miles an hour and made a 60-mile round trip on the lake for a 5M fare. The ship was destroyed in the 1900 flood when the dam broke.

Ben Hur

1902: On February 23, the Austin Daily Tribune reported: "Austin's first automobile will arrive in the city tomorrow. The factory experts will be with it and show the people just what the machine will do. Mr. W. G. Bell has been appointed local agent of the company manufacturing the machine." It was a White.

Brick Avenue

1905: Congress Avenue was bricked from the Capitol to the river with bricks from Thurber, Texas. The project took almost nine months to complete, with the last brick being laid on September 26.

Congress Bridge

1910: A concrete bridge was built to replace the iron bridge at the foot of Congress Avenue. The contractors, William P. Carmichael Company from Williamsport, Indiana, moved the old iron bridge onto new piers for use while the new bridge was constructed. The bridge was built with sand within layers of concrete to cushion the streetcar, wagon, and auto traffic.

First Airplane

1911: The first airplane arrived in Austin on October 20, to be greeted by a waiting crowd. Will T. Caswell paid the pilot to land at Ridgetop, near 45th and Duval, as a part of a promotion for that area. Caswell was the developer of that new residential section.

1927: Auto traffic had increased, and the first traffic signal light was installed at the intersection of Congress Avenue and 6th Street. It was manually operated by a policeman during peak traffic periods.

1928: Austin officials requested that the Army Air Force at Kelly Field in San Antonio send someone to help select the best location for a municipal airport. The Air Force sent Lt. Claire Chennault (later renowned as Gen. Chennault, leader of the 'Flying Tigers') to look at eight sites. He chose the Matthews farm tract, northeast of town, which still serves as the location for the municipal airport.

First Airport

1930: The first steel frame hangar and small office building were constructed at the municipal airport, and the first commercial flights were flown by American Airlines. The schedule: one northbound flight during the morning, one southbound flight in the afternoon weather permitting.

1940: On February 7, a celebration on Congress Avenue marked the end of the electric streetcars and the beginning of the Austin Transit Company's city buses.

First Buses

1942: Del Valle Army Air Base was established on September 19, but on November 12, the name was changed to Bergstrom Army Air Field at the suggestion of then Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson. Capt. John August Earl Bergstrom was the first Austin citizen to die in World War II, killed in the Japanese bombing of The Philippines, December 8, 1941.

1943 Airport

1943: The first control tower was built when the Austin airport was one of the busiest in the nation. Excluding military air traffic, there were approximately 12,000 aircraft landings and 120,000 arriving passengers at the municipal airport.

1956: The Congress Avenue Bridge was widened to four lanes.

1961 Airport

1961: The present Robert Mueller Municipal Airport terminal and control tower were constructed.

1968: Austin streets were among the first in the nation to have computerized traffic control. Only two cities installed such systems before Austin.

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[*] Although this document claims the Ben Hur steamboat started operations in 1892, the following excerpt from an Austin Daily Statesman article dated May 11, 1893 proclaims the boat finally ready for the regatta.

The Ben Hur Afloat

Capt. Shepard yesterday morning succeeded in getting his big boat off the bank and floated her out in the stream, where the balance of the work will be done. The rudder is in position and a gang of workmen are preparing to the place the machinery and [illegible], which will arrive at the dam today. The Captain judged correctly where his water line should be, as it floats just as he had planned. She will be ready for the regatta.

 

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