Josselet Switch

About 1905 citizens of Haskell, Munday and Wichita Falls pooled $120,000 to bring the Colorado and Southern's extension of the old Wichita Valley line from Seymour to Stamford, finished in 1908. Linked to national markets, Haskell County had 2,210 farms and 16,249 people by 1910, with more than 75,000 acres in cotton and over 34,000 cattle. The Handbook of Texas records the switch itself as a settlement of ten people and one business in 1936 and twenty-five in 1945; by 1980 county maps showed neither a switch nor any business.

What the plaque says

Belgian native Victor Joseph Josselet (1846-1946) joined his brothers, Felix and Paul, in immigrating to the United States in 1873. After working as coal miners in Chicago, they purchased a small farm in Sherman (Grayson Co.). While in Sherman, Victor met and married Catherine Hugon (1860-1928), a native of Rosario Oriental, Uruguay. They lived for 18 years in Gainesville (Cooke Co.) before moving to Haskell County. The couple had nine children. In 1900, Victor purchased a large tract of land between Weinert and Haskell and began ranching and farming, building a large home with several barns, outbuildings and water tanks. The family also bought a home in Haskell to attend Haskell schools and the Methodist church. In 1906, the Wichita Valley Railroad extended their line from Wichita Falls to Haskell, completing a connection to Abilene in 1908. That year, the railroad paid Josselet $350 for a railroad siding on "a strip of land 100 feet wide, being 50 feet on each side of the line of railroad." Josselet Switch linked area farms and ranches to national markets and became known as an important cattle shipping point to Fort Worth and Kansas City stockyards. An empty boxcar was maintained at the switch for loading cattle. Josselet Switch also received a depot, grocery store, and oil and gasoline refueling station for equipment. Each of the Josselet children inherited a 200 acre tract, and the families contributed to area growth that supported the Belew, Gilliam, Powell, Meyers and Pleasant Valley schools and the Josselet Home Demonstration Club. Cattle auction barns in Haskell, Seymour and Munday helped lead to the decline of the community. Today, most of the Josselets' original land is still owned and operated by descendants. (2013)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Haskell County — 5.9 mi
• First Baptist Church of Rochester — 10 mi
• First Christian Church — 14 mi
• Sunset Consolidated Rural School District — 14 mi