Mineola Railroad Junction

Mineola, in Wood County, owes its existence to a race. Two rival railroads, the Texas and Pacific and the International and Great Northern, were competing to reach this East Texas junction point first. The International and Great Northern won by fifteen minutes.

The town incorporated in eighteen seventy-seven and grew rapidly as additional lines converged here. Railroad jobs, including a railroad shop, helped drive the local economy for decades. The historic depot, now known as the Mineola Transportation Plaza, still serves Amtrak passengers on the Texas Eagle route, making it one of the few small Texas towns where you can still board a passenger train today.