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Texas, QLD: A Border Town on The Dumaresq River

The town of Texas is situated in Queensland, on the banks of the Dumaresq River, on the border with New South Wales, in the Darling Downs region, 230km south-west of Brisbane.


The Bigambul People

Texas is an area where various Aboriginal groups share interests in the land, including the Bigambul and Gambuwal/Kambuwal people.

In 1827, when explorer Allan Cunningham travelled north from the Hunter Valley in search of fertile land, he crossed the Severn River and the Dumaresq River, between Texas and Boggabilla, and he saw smoke rising from Aboriginal camps.

By the 1840s, large numbers of Europeans began to move into the Darling Downs area to claim land, soon outnumbering the Aboriginal people and disturbing their access to food sources. Aboriginal people also had no immunity to diseases like influenza, whooping cough and measles, as these diseases were passed to humans around 8,000 to 9,000 years ago, to human groups who had domesticated large herd animals.

With their survival under extreme threat, Aboriginal people began an intense guerilla war against the European settlers. However, by 1854, only 100 of the Bigambul people were left alive.

A letter exists from Goondiwindi, dated March 16 1874, requesting blankets for about 20 Aboriginal people at Texas.

Evidence of the long occupation of the Aboriginal people around Texas and the surrounding area can be found in the more than 1000 grinding grooves on rocks beside a creek near Inglewood QLD, where Bigambul people once sharpened their axes and spears.
Grinding grooves, of the Bigambul people at Inglewood, QLD
Settlers

Patrick Leslie (1815 –1881), a Scottish settler to Australia and his two brothers (Walter and George), were the first to settle on the Darling Downs in 1840. In a letter that George Leslie wrote in 1841,  there is evidence of the conflict between settlers and Aboriginal people in his words: "we never allow them to come about the station or hold any communication with them except it be with a gun or sword".

Also in 1840, the McDougall Brothers settled on a 32,000-hectare land grant originally called Cullybullan, where Texas Station now exists. However, in the 1850s, the brothers left their lands and joined the mad rush to the goldfields, with thousands of others. Later when they returned home, the McDougall brothers found that they had been "jumped": their land had been taken over by other settlers. 

Much stress, effort and time passed before the McDougall’s could re-established their ownership of the disputed land, which led them to call their station "Texas" after the disputed state in the US. Or, so it is said.
Texas Station Homestead, Texas, QLD, Queensland Country Life (Qld. : 1900 - 1954), Thursday 10 December 1953
Suspension bridge at Texas Station connecting NSW and QLD, Week (Brisbane, Qld. : 1876 - 1934), Friday 9 June 1893
Charlie Weber's bullock team in Texas, year unknown. Photo courtesy SLQLD

Farming

The area on which the Texas area sits, once comprised the Texas and Gunyan stations, which are now much smaller proprieties. The township, however, began as a stop for teamster's on the NSW-Queensland border and to service the increasing sheep and cattle properties of the region.

In 1868, George Myles was appointed as Sheep Inspector and border customs officer at Texas.

The rich, alluvial river flats around the river encouraged farmers to plant crops, one of the earliest being corn. By the late 1860s, Chinese people were being employed to grow tobacco.

In 1875 the town was surveyed and businesses were cropping up on the banks of the Dumaresq River. More settlers were moving to the region and the town was growing, with a newly constructed police barracks opened by Police Inspector Harris from Toowoomba. A J Thompson was the first police officer at Texas, sent there in 1890. Later he was an accountant and secretary of the general hospital and known as the "grand old man of Texas".
Mr A. J. Thompson, known as the "grand old man of Texas". Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Saturday 9 February 1929
Opening of the Texas Hospital, Queensland, 1913, SLQLD
Former Texas Police Station, built 1889, near the Durmaresq River. The building was moved after a flood to 44 Fleming Street, Texas, QLD. Became a Museum in 1972
Warwick Daily News (Qld. : 1919 -1954), Thursday 7 May 1936

The Great Flood

Disaster struck in March 1890, when the fledgeling town was devastated by major flooding. The newly completed police Barracks was washed off its stumps and became stuck in two large trees and Mrs Malone, one of the areas earliest settlers, had her home washed away and sought refuge in a tree with a small child, where she remained for days. Thankfully both survived the events.

Abandoned Shops

Abandoned shops from the original town of Texas, QLD
Abandoned shops from the original town of Texas, QLD
Abandoned shops from the original town of Texas, QLD

The Town Moves

After this, the town was moved to higher ground, where wide streets allowed the for the bullock train and the passage of stock.

Herbert Fraser Elwyn, was the pastoralist at Gunyan Station from 1886 to 1926.

Arcot, the property of Charles Munroe JP, became successful stockbreeders.
Slab hut and other building on Arcot Station, near Pikdale, Queensland, June 1924. ' Back of the photo reads "Humpy on Arcot, Munroe's Station between S. Spur and Pikedale on road to Stanthorpe. Jim Ryan - mailman on steps. S. W. Queensland."
This bridge, which was erected over 20 years ago, across the Dumaresq River, about a mile and a half from Texas 0n the Queensland-New South Wales border, is the only means of crossing the river in flood time. It is 6O feet long and 50 feet above water level and anchored to two trees, one on either side of thestream. Some time ago. one of the trees showed evidences of decay.

School Days

Texas State School opened in 1887, attracting children from both the New SouthWales and Queensland side of the river.
Billy goat race at the Texas State School, Queensland, 1908, SLQLD
  
Business and Pleasure

Members of the Texas State School Football Club, QLD, ca. 1905. Photo courtesy SLQLD.
Hong Yuen general stores were run by the Fay family and their extended family. The first store began at Inverell in the 1890s as a small wooden shop. This advertisement is from an Italian/ Australian newspaper, Il Giornale Italiano (Sydney, NSW : 1932 - 1940), Wednesday 1 July 1936
Mr. and Mrs. M. D. M'DougalL picnic aces at Stanthorpe, Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Wednesday 16 April 1930
Mrs. C. A. Munro (Arcot)- and Mrs. H. H. Jennings (Texas)«' Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Wednesday 16 April 1930

The Silver Spur Mine

Silver was discovered 12km east of Texas in 1890 and a mine was established in 1897. Lead and copper were also mined there.
Silver Spur, As seen from the north-west in 1916, QLD

Tobacco

The rich alluvial river flats attracted crop growing, with corn being one of the earliest crops. In the 1880s, the Greenup bros. were growing tobacco called "Texas Gold Bar" and Stanley McMaster of Runnymede, began using Chinese labourers, to grow tobacco, operating on the share-system. The Tobacco at this time was all sun or air-cured.
The type of camps used by Texas Bonds Limited, QLD, Smith's Weekly (Sydney, NSW : 1919 - 1950), Saturday 5 December 1931
By the turn of the century, 280 hectares were under cultivation and a tobacco factory was erected at Texas. The output of tobacco declined in the 1920s, but increased dramatically in the 1930s, because of the rapid rise in import duty on tobacco leaf.
 Old method of watering Tobacco, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 22 June 1929
Italian tobacco farmers, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 22 June 1929
Texas station Homestead is the centre of a rich cattle area, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Thursday 28 February 1929
In 1908, Texas Station had 200 acres of tobacco leased to Chinese farmers. The station built the sheds and looked after the sales, while the share farmer paid one-third of the profit for the use of the land.

European growers, however, gradually took over from the Chinese and became an important part of the area's economy for many years, until the late 1960s.

For 30 years before 1960s, the Texas district was second in importance only to Mareeba-Dimbulah in tobacco production.
Interior of a tobacco factory -stemming the leaves, Texas. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 2 April 1913
Tobacco drying kilns at Texas on the Queensland/New South Wales border, ca. 1935
Tobacco drying kilns at Texas on the Queensland/New South Wales border, ca. 1935,State Library of Queensland
Drying tobacco, Texas, Southern Queensland. circa 1930, Queensland State Archives
In 1969, the building of the Coolmunda Dam improved water supply and quality to the Texas district.

During the 60s, 70s and 80s, the tobacco industry operated under the government stabilisation scheme, which required a minimum of 50% Australian-grown leaf content in 1965. When this scheme was closed, Australian growers were unable to compete economically with leaf grown in countries, like China and South America. By the end of 1995, only 240 tobacco growers remained in Queensland.

Other Industries

Feral rabbit populations were observed in Tasmania in 1827. However, Thomas Austin, a Victorian grazier introduced wild rabbits to his property in Geelong, Victoria, for hunting in 1859. Rabbits quickly reproduced on mainland Australia, and soon, became a pest, invading southern Queensland in the early 1900s.

By the 1920s, rabbits were causing huge amounts of damage to crops, which prompted the development of a local industry. The Rabbit Processing Works, constructed in 1928, helped the Texas community to survive during the Great Depression, when 6,000 rabbits per day were processed at the works, with most being sent overseas. This industry helped sustain the town from the 1920s to the 1950s.

The Rabbit Processing Works building is the only known surviving rabbit and freezing works in Queensland, which is now operating as a museum.

A cheese factory opened at Texas in 1910, soon became a butter factory, and closed in the 1950s.
Preparing to skin some rabbits on a property in Queensland, State Library of Queensland 
Tom Ranbin and his rabbit truck, Texas District, Queensland (Place), State Library of Queensland 
Rabbit Works, Texas, QLD

The Hospital

Texas Hospital opened in 1912.
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Friday 23 September 1910
Texas Hospital, QLD, in 1929, Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Thursday 28 February 1929

Railway Connection

Texas was connected by a 55-kilometre section of rail between Inglewood and Texas which opened on 3 November 1930. The line closed in 1994.
Texas railway station in 1930, QLD, State Library of Queensland.
RM 1901 waits under looming skies at Texas station, Queensland, ~1991 
Fitted with a centrifugal pump with a capacity flow of 400 gallons a minute, and a 30ft. extension ladder, this 30 cwt. truck is the latest unit purchase J by the lngiewood-Texas Fire Brigade Board. will be stationed permanently at Texas. Warwick Daily News (Qld. : 1919 -1954), Wednesday 27 June 1951

WWII

Studio portrait of QX5995 Private (Pte) Arthur Edward Kingsley, 2/9 Battalion, of Texas, Qld. He enlisted from Inglewood on 8 June 1940. Pte Kingsley was killed in action in Papua on 5 September 1942; he was 27 years of age.
Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1926 - 1954), Sunday 4 January 1942

Cattle Sales

Texas sheep and cattle sales, Queensland Country Life (Qld. : 1900 - 1954), Thursday 19 December 1946
 Texas sale yard workers, vendors, drovers, stockmen, QLD, Queensland Country Life (Qld. : 1900 - 1954), Thursday 30 August 1951

Texas Rodeo

Texas Rodeo, Queensland Country Life (Qld. : 1900 - 1954), Thursday 4 March 1948
Warwick Daily News (Qld. : 1919 -1954), Saturday 15 January 1944

Texas Memorial Hall

Texas Memorial Hall was completed in 1958, as a memorial to those who served in World War I and II. It replaced a timber building which burnt down in 1947.
Warwick Daily News (Qld. : 1919 -1954), Friday 15 October 1948
Texas Memorial Hall was completed in 1958 as a memorial to those who served in World War I and II

The 1970s

Farm at Texas, QLD, 1970s
Near the Cunningham Weir, Texas, QLD, 1970s
Farm at Texas, QLD, 1970s

Around Texas

The Stockman Hotel in Texas, Qld
Dumaresq River, Texas. Qld
Rachael's cottage, built by the Middleton family in 1898, Texas, QLD
Windmill at Texas, QLD
Texas, QLD
Shops in Texas, QLD
Shops in Texas, QLD
High Street, Texas, QLD
Sacred Heart Church, Texas, QLD. The first Catholic Church in Texas was built near the Dumaresq River. However, after repeated floods a new site on higher ground in Texas was purchased, and a church, school and convent were erected in 1935
High Street, Texas, QLD. This building was erected in 1938 as part of a major expansion by the Bank of New South Wales in Queensland.
Emus at Texas, QLD
Heading to Texas, QLD, from NSW
NAB Bank in Texas, 22 High St, Texas, QLD. This building has two sections. A timber building erected in 1908 as the Royal Bank of Queensland and a brick extension erected in 1934 for the National Bank of Australasia
The Dumaresq River, Texas, QLD
Aerial view of Texas taken in January 2010, looking southward, Unaipon
Tobacco smoking houses, Texas, QLD


Things To Do and Places To Go


Texas Heritage Centre and Museum

Texas Memorial Hall

Texas Rabbit Works

Texas & Inglewood Heritage Railway Society (find on facebook)