Glidden, TX

Glidden is an unincorporated Colorado County community where the railroad story is still the main local shorthand. The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway laid out the town in 1885 with switching yards, a roundhouse, depot, water facilities, and shops, making Glidden a maintenance stop between Houston and El Paso. The post office followed in 1888, and the town picked up a school, churches, hotel, and businesses around the rail work. Diesel locomotives later made most of the old steam-era shops obsolete, but the rail line remains the thread connecting Glidden to the county’s transportation history. Columbus is just east, with U.S. 90 through town and I-10 along the southern edge.