Developers, natural gas bring early settlers

The story of Missouri City is one of dynamic growth in a short period of time. An area that very few people had inhabited historically became one of the largest suburbs of one of the largest cities in the country.

"A sleepy community with close-knit families and relationships exploded at the beginning of the 1960s into Suburbia, U.S.A.," said historian Roger F. Carter in Missouri City, Texas. "Missouri City moved from a town of 3,000 inhabitants to one of more than 30,000 in less than 20 years."

For centuries, the area around Missouri City was almost completely uninhabited. Local Native American tribes like the Karankawa were nomadic and tended to move along the coast where they could find oysters, crabs and fish. The first Spanish missionaries to the region in the 18th century simply passed by, establishing their missions further north and east.

Early settlers found that the prairie was good for cattle ranching and cotton farming. A railroad was built through what is now the northern part of Missouri City in 1853, but trains would merely pass by until the first depot was built in 1902.

As with other small towns in the region, real estate investment was a catalyst for Missouri City's birth and development. In 1890, two real estate developers from Houston—R.M. Cash and L.E. Luekel—invested in four square miles of prairie southwest of Houston and east of Stafford. Seeking to lure settlers from the Midwest, they heavily advertised in the St. Louis area, promising "a land of genial sunshine and eternal summer."

A few years later, another promoter—W.R. McElroy—purchased 80 nearby acres, subdivided the land and recorded his plan for a new town in both Harris and Fort Bend counties. Following Cash and Luekel's efforts to appeal to prospective buyers from St. Louis, he named the new town "Missouri City."

A railway depot, general store and post office helped form the center of early Missouri City. A blacksmith named Allen Robinson was among the original group of settlers from Arlington and upon his arrival he established a blacksmith shop, which has been recognized as the first business in Missouri City. Robinson later moved to Port Lavaca, but his anvil is at the George Ranch Historical Park.

The 1919 discovery of oil in the Blue Ridge area—also known as "Hobby"—to the southeast of town brought a small measure of prosperity to some residents. The oil field was also mined for salt and in 1925 natural gas was found. With the construction of a pipeline, Missouri City became the first town in Fort Bend County to use natural gas. The Houston Cattle Company, a meatpacking business, was founded in 1933. By 1940, the town had 100 residents and few businesses.

The development of more reliable cars and better roads led to Missouri City's transition to a bedroom community for commuters to Houston. As Houston encroached in the mid-1950s, plans for the annexation of Missouri City by its larger neighbor were vigorously debated. A city government was formed and in 1956 Missouri City was incorporated. With the development of master-planned communities like Quail Valley, the city has grown from around 600 residents at incorporation to nearly 70,000 today.

Source: Missouri City, Texas by Roger F. Carter