Fulshear-Katy Community Guide & Directory 2022-23

O U R H I S T O R Y

photos by Terry Crockett

HISTORY OF FULSHEAR

T he history of the Fulshear and Katy communities is woven from a common thread. While the origins of the two communities were originally quite volatile, based largely on the boom and bust of the railroads or agricultural crops, the Fulshear-Katy area has recently become one of the fastest growing areas not only in the State of Texas but across the nation. What is now known as Fulshear was originally established by Churchill Fulshear, Jr. in 1824 as par t of a land grant from the Mexican government . Fulshear developed into somewhat of a boom town when the San Antonio Aransas Pass Railroad decided to run its rail line through Fulshear in 1888. Immigrants began f locking to the area. Shor tly after the turn of the century, the town, which originally centered around Churchill Fulshear ’s cotton gin and f lour mill , had grown to include several saloons, stores, shops and even a hotel. The earliest settlement of the community of Katy was originally known as Cane Island, named for Cane Island Creek which runs through the area. The name Katy ultimately was derived from the MKT Railroad Company, which was often shor tened to the “K-T.” The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 destroyed nearly all of the homes in the area, but residents were determined to rebuild. Within a few years they had developed

the infrastructure to suppor t local businesses, which included a hotel and saloon among others. Many more families began moving to the area with the anticipation of prosperity, and the town grew around the original railroad stop. Katy quickly developed into a thriving farming community, with rice as its most impor tant crop. The City of Katy was incorporated in 1945, with C. L . Baird as its f irst Mayor. Fulshear later incorporated as a general law city with the State of Texas in 197 7, and conver ted to a home-rule city in 2016. Both communities experienced rapid development as transpor tation infrastructure helped to connect them to the westward expansion of the Houston area. For Katy, this growth was originally tied to the opening of Interstate 10 in 1966 and was fur ther enhanced by the widening of I-10 to an average of 26 lanes in 2008. , Fulshear ’s growth can be tied to the original construction of the Westpark Tollway, as well as its recent expansion. Sensing the oppor tunity that both communities present , real estate developers and business owners have continued to invest heavily in new

master planned communities, off ice buildings and retail centers, as well as a booming new market for industrial and distribution centers.

While the history of these two communities is f illed with both prosperity and hardship, their future is a very promising one for residents and businesses alike.

20 FULSHEAR-KATY COMMUNITY GUIDE & DIRECTORY 2022-23 ISSUE