www.CottonBeltRoute.com
Preserving the Legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway

 

Cotton Belt Depot, Commerce, Texas
Ed Cooper photo | Robert McFatridge engineer  

The 6th Annual
Cotton Belt
Railroad Symposium

Sam Rayburn Student Center
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas

Friday-Saturday
September 23-24, 2011

The 6th Annual Symposium is scheduled for Friday, September 23, 2011, 5:00pm-8:00pm and Saturday, September 24, 2011, 8:45am-4:30pm

Friday evening's feature is a special "Show-And-Tell" and book signing event in a "Mix-N-Mingle" format.   Railroad artifacts and information will be displayed by a number of museums, historical societies, and individuals.  If you have items of railroad interest, particularly of significance to the Cotton Belt, you would like to display, please contact Jason Davis so we can arrange for appropriate table or display space.  Please note that this is NOT a swap-meet.

The formal event on Saturday will consist of a number of presentations, a panel discussion, and a luncheon.  Audience participation is encouraged.

Luncheon

Meal reservation deadline was Sept. 19.  Off-campus dining is available at Commerce's fine dining establishments and numerous food vendors set-up in Historic Downtown for the Bois d'Arc Bash. 

Presented by

tamuc Department of Educational Leadership

James G. Gee Library Special Collections

Commerce Public Library

Sponsors

Gold Spike Sponsor

Wayne Defebaugh, President

Bronze Spike Sponsor

Cletis Millsap, Chair, Northeast Texas Rural Rail Transportation District (NETEX)

Contact Jason Davis for information on tax-deductable, corporate or personal Symposium sponsorship opportunities.

The Bois d'Arc Bash

 
The Symposium is scheduled to coincide with Commerce's signature annual event -- The Bois d'Arc Bash.  The Bash runs Friday through Sunday with numerous vendor booths, a parade, live bands and entertainment, golf tournament, 5k dash, car show, and a variety of other activities.  The Bash is presented by the Commerce Chamber of Commerce.

A full weekend of fun for the entire family is yours to be had.  View the Bash Schedule of Events.

Free Shuttle Service is provided from 3pm to 9pm on Saturday between the Student Center and Downtown Commerce for Bash Activities and the Dyer Junction Dedication, compliments of TAMU-C's Campus Life and Student Development.

Dedicated to Winford Blake Dyer

The 2011 Cotton Belt Symposium is dedicated to the memory of Winford Blake Dyer.
July 12, 1927 - August 6, 2010

The Board of Directors of the Northeast Texas Regional Rail Transportation District (NETEX) recently passed a resolution to name the junction of the former Cotton Belt and Texas Midland in downtown Commerce "Dyer Junction" in recognition of Winford's leadership in facilitating the formation of the rail district and preservation of the former "C" branch for continued rail service to the region.  The symposium will culminate on Saturday with the official dedication ceremony, trackside at the location of the junction near the site of the former Cotton Belt Depot.

Past Symposiums

• The 4rd (5th) Annual Cotton Belt Symposium
  October 8-9, 2010
   2010 Media Gallery
• The 3rd (4th) Annual Cotton Belt Symposium
  August 8, 2009
   2009 Media Gallery
  
• The 2nd (3rd) Annual Cotton Belt Symposium:  Railroad Legacy & Lore
  August 16, 2008
   2008 Media Gallery
  
• The 1st (2nd) Annual Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium
  April 16, 2007
   2007 Media Gallery
  
• Inaugural (1st) Event
  The Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium
  November 30, 2006
   2006 Media Gallery
   Abbreviated due to untimely ice storm and rescheduled
   for April 16, 2007.

Everyone Welcome

Please join us for the next free, public event to document and preserve the legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and the Cotton Belt "Family."

Commerce Public Library Collection | used with permission

A special invitation is extended to all former and current employees and their families to come and share recollections of their railroad days.  Everyone is encouraged to bring and display historical photos depicting people, places, equipment, and rail operations.  With permission, we would appreciate the opportunity to scan images or photograph artifacts for historic preservation and inclusion in the Digital Library. Staff will be available to photograph or digitize a limited number of artifacts on-site on Saturday.  It may be necessary for us to make arrangements to digitize larger collections at a later date.

Anyone interested in the history of railroading in Commerce, Northeast Texas, or system wide on the Cotton Belt or other regional railroads is welcome.  This is also a reunion opportunity for members of the railroad "family."

Commerce Public Library Collection | used with permission

Agendas

Friday, September 23, 2011 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rm. #213B

4:30p    Set-up
5:00      View Displays & visit with old and new friends
8:00p    Adjourn

Saturday, September 24, 2011 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rms. #213A&B

8:19a    Registration/Displays Open
8:45      Welcome and Opening remarks
9:00      The Interurban Railway System - Robert Haynes,
              curator, Plano Interurban Railway Museum
9:30      Texas Midland Railroad – Cheryl Westhafer
              Local History Librarian, Commerce Public Library
10:00    Billy R. Null, locomotive engineer, SSW/UP

10:30    Break
10:45    The SSW Long Caboose 2305 Comes Home
              -Gary Powell
11:15    The SSW Business Car Fleet - Tony Wilson

11:45    Luncheon - Reservations required by 9/19 for meal.
12:45    World Premiere video screening of the new
              documentary feature on Saving the "C" Branch
              by Dr. Richard Schroeder & David Walvoord
1:45      NETEX/Blacklands Railroad Update -
              Cletis Millsap & Wayne Defebaugh
2:00      Break
2:15      Panel Discussion, Dr. Harley Davis, moderator
              -Rheba Icenhower
              -Leo Sykes
              -Lenton Ray Moore
              -others TBA
3:30      Adjourn to Blacklands Railroad in Downtown
              Commerce for dedication ceremony.
4:00      NETEX Rail District dedication of "Dyer Junction,"
              Blacklands Railroad Locomotive Display, and
              Railroad Partners, Inc. Motorcar Display.

Blacklands #4601 switching at Dyer Junction | Jason Lee Davis photo 4/18/06

Following the dedication ceremony, visitors are invited to an Open House hosted by Steven Powlow featuring his personal railroad memorabilia collection including numerous Cotton Belt and KCS artifacts, model layout, and railroad "Signal Garden" at 2500 Bryan St., Commerce.

Participants

Interurban Railway Museum, Plano, Texas

Lodging Accommodations

View Commerce Lodging information.
Note:  The Bois d'Arc Bash is a major event in Commerce and accommodations may become difficult to acquire.  It is recommended that reservations for lodging be made well in advance of the Symposium dates.

Important Notice

As a significant purpose of this event is historic documentation, the events will be video taped and photographed extensively.  Attendees should be aware that they are subject to appearance in video clips and photographs that may appear in library archives, digital library collections, and other vehicles of media dissemination on the Internet.  Attendance at this event signifies voluntary consent to be included in such documentation.