I visited the Foster Community area (south of Fulshear) a week ago and had a chance to shoot some video of forgotten relics of the past: the Brazos River Pumping Station and the Imperial Valley Railway. The video is just 3-minutes long, but I think it's fairly self-explanatory.
The Pumping Station and the railway played significant roles in Sugar Land's early prosperity. Edward Cunningham (and eventually I. H. Kempner and W. T. Eldridge) needed water for the sugar refinery. (Steam and water were necessary at various steps in the refining process.) Sugarland Industries and its partners (like Marshall Canning) needed water for farming and ranching enterprises.
As you can tell in the video, the pumping station is still in operation. The Gulf Coast Water Authority uses it to manage the water supply in Oyster Creek.
The Imperial Valley Railway was eventually merged into the Sugar Land Railroad. When local growers abandoned sugar cane as a major crop the railroad went into decline. It ceased operation in 1952.
The Imperial Valley Railway was eventually merged into the Sugar Land Railroad. When local growers abandoned sugar cane as a major crop the railroad went into decline. It ceased operation in 1952.
