02 · WORKING THE LAND

Trains, onions
& changing times.

Look toward Front Street and imagine the crops, cattle, and livelihoods that moved through town.

Growing the Winter Garden

TSHA records Bermuda onion planting near Cotulla in 1896 and commercial growing in 1898. Irrigation helped make commercial vegetable growing possible throughout the year in the wider Winter Garden region.

In KUT’s 2015 reporting, local preservation advocate Patsy Leigh recalled onion sheds beside the Front Street depot. Farmers and ranchers brought their products to town for shipment. The railroad shaped both the streetscape and the economy.

Another boom, another adjustment

KUT’s 2015 story follows Cotulla’s shift from ranching and farming toward oil and gas activity. It describes a slowdown after the Eagle Ford boom, as oil prices and production declined.

Trains, onions & changing times.

Growing the Winter Garden

Another boom, another adjustment

Trains, onions
& changing times.