Historical Markers in Texas

Gasoline Cotton Gin

History·Briscoe County·Texas

Cotton farmers began settling in this area in 1903. A water well was dug in 1906, attracting more farmers and increasing crop production. Because the nearest cotton gin was ten miles away in Turkey, three partners (M.E. Tomson, J.H. Clack, and L.A. McCracken) bought a gasoline-powered engine and built a gin at this site. The first bale of cotton was ginned in April 1907. The presence of the gin led to the development of a town named Gasoline. The town declined after the railroad bypassed it in 1927 and the gin was destroyed in a 1938 fire. (1990)

Getting there

34.3429, -101.0142

Locations are approximate and may be inaccurate, on private land, or otherwise inaccessible. Check before you travel.

Hear it from the road

Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.

Download Whistlestop on the App Store