Chartered in 1856, Waco began as a tiny frontier town on the banks of a river which was often too volatile to cross. Despite its dangers, the river served as an ideal water source for farming. The cotton industry developed as farmers realized the potential of the fertile soil in the area resulting from the intersection of the Blackland and Grand Prairies. The opening of the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River in 1870 and arrival of the railroad facilitated trade, leading to large-scale industrialization of the cotton industry. By 1885, Waco served as the largest inland cotton market in Texas.

Cotton reigned as king of Waco’s economy for half a century, affecting nearly every aspect of community life. From the toil of slave laborers who picked crops in the fields, to the establishment of multiple railway lines for ease of transportation, to the creation of yearly extravagant festivals honoring “white gold,” cotton has much to say about the history of Waco.

This tour highlights some of Waco’s landmark sites related to cotton and invites you to explore the way in which the cash crop shaped this community’s history.