James Oliver Thomas

Thomas likely chose to name the town after the MKT, which was commonly referred to by its stock symbol "KT" or "Katy." Although some have speculated that the town's namesake was a saloon keeper's wife (Katherine Kolafa, known to her husband as "Katy"), Thomas invested a great deal of money, land and effort in the belief that the rail connection would enable the new town to thrive.

Thomas operated the post office out of his general store, which was located across the street from the present location of Katy City Hall. Ultimately his granddaughter, Ruth Goynes, would raise her children in a yellow brick house on the same site. That building now serves as the Katy Senior Citizen Activity Center.

Thomas's great-great-grandson, Brynton Goynes, graduated from Katy High School and said that according to family lore his ancestor was a wealthy and generous man, intent on establishing a new farming community along the railroad.

"He had a lot of money and an affinity for donating land," Goynes said. "He gave land to some of the first doctors and farmers to help entice them to move to Katy."

Thomas's children were equally generous, donating the parcel of land that would become known as Thomas Park to the city of Katy in 1907. Thomas's great-granddaughter, Janis Shipper, recalled that when she grew up in Katy in the early 1960s the land was undeveloped.

"We would ride up and down the creek on our bicycles," Shipper said. "On either side it was all pasture, with big, wild grapes growing along the bank and water moccasins and other wildlife were everywhere."

Sources: "Historic Katy: An Illustrated History" by Carol Adams