Louise, TX

Louise is a Wharton County census-designated place on U.S. 59, nine miles west of El Campo, with East Mustang Creek east of town. It began as a railroad station in 1881, and the surrounding prairie soon proved well suited to rice, cotton, corn, and milo. Louise Independent School District dates to 1908, while Wharton County Junior College serves as the county’s higher-education link. Oil and gas production added another layer to an economy built around fields, water, rail, and highway.

Rice made Louise a serious Gulf Coast farm center in the early 20th century. In 1901, G.M. Sadler planted 426 acres and sold that year’s crop for $36,000; local well drillers soon reached deep water for irrigation. R.H.B. Hancock moved a rice dryer and mill to Louise in 1938, and the mill later produced Fiesta brand rice. The town also became known for its 1960 “Outdoor Newspaper,” a large billboard of local news that drew national attention. Louise has grown, shrunk, and grown again, but its story still follows the crops and industries that the railroad helped bring together.