Latest posts
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Life on the Line: Food, Pay, Danger, and Family Among Chinese Railroad Workers
Part 3 of the Railroad Builders of Far West Texas series Here in Sanderson, the railroad is more than a set of tracks running through town. It is part of the reason this community exists. In the first two parts of this series, I explored the Chinese laborers who helped build the Southern Pacific route…
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Why Was Sanderson “Too Mean for Roy Bean”? The Charlie Wilson Legend
The Charlie Wilson Whiskey Legend of Early Sanderson, Texas Before Sanderson became known as the Cactus Capital of Texas, it carried a far more hard-edged nickname: the town too mean for Roy Bean. The phrase comes from one of Sanderson’s best old tales—a saloon rivalry involving town founder Charlie Wilson, the legendary Judge Roy Bean,…
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Public Office Accountability in Terrell County, Texas
Public Office Accountability in Terrell County: Why Citizen Participation Matters Public office is a public trust. In Terrell County, elected officials are entrusted with taxpayer resources, public services, emergency responsibilities, and decisions that directly affect the people of Sanderson and the surrounding county. That trust requires more than holding a title or winning an election.…
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The Lost Railroad Camp at Langtry: Chinese Railroad Workers in West Texas
Part 2 of the “Railroad Builders of Far West Texas” seriesA SandersonTexas.org History Series In Part 1 of this series, Chinese Railroad Workers and Sanderson Texas Railroad History, I wrote about the Chinese railroad workers who helped build the Southern Pacific route through far West Texas—the railroad corridor that made Sanderson possible. That history can…
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Big Bend Border Security Is a National Question, Not Only a Local One
The debate over the Big Bend barrier project has become a contest between two incomplete slogans: “build the wall” and “save the park.” The public deserves a more honest discussion—one that recognizes local impacts while remembering that a remote international border is still a national-security responsibility. Opinion analysis by SandersonTexas.orgUpdated: August 11, 2026 A $1.7…
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Terrell County Animal Shelter: The Public Deserves Clear Answers, Not Deflection
The Terrell County Animal Shelter remains closed, and the Sheriff has explained that a malfunctioning air-conditioning system makes it unsafe to house animals during the extreme summer heat. No reasonable person wants animals kept in dangerous conditions. If cooling is inadequate, protecting the animals must come first. But that explanation cannot be the end of…
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Chinese Railroad Workers and Sanderson Texas Railroad History
Part 1 of the Railroad Builders of Far West Texas series Sanderson is a railroad town. The tracks that reached this part of West Texas in 1882 brought freight, passengers, jobs, supplies, and a lasting connection to the outside world. The railroad helped transform a remote stretch of desert country into the community we know…
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Amazon Data Center Near Fort Stockton: What the Pecos County Project Could Mean for Sanderson, Texas
This is an artificial intelligence image rendering of a data center.
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Sanderson Train Robbery: The Wild West Shootout at Baxter’s Curve
On a dark March night in 1912, two outlaws thought they had found the perfect place to rob a train. Instead, near Sanderson, Texas, they found the end of the Old West. There are places in West Texas where the land seems to remember. The country around Sanderson is wide, dry, and unforgiving. The hills…
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When News Travels Fast: Sanderson’s Media History and the Need for Trustworthy Information
Sanderson has never lacked for news. For more than a century, residents have relied on local papers, personal conversation, county offices, and community networks to learn what is happening in town. The methods have changed, but the need has not. People want to know about public safety, schools, roads, businesses, local government, community events, and…