Sanderson, Texas

Sanderson is the Cactus Capital of Texas and Eastgate to the Big Bend Wilderness Area. On Historic Highway 90, about midway between San Antonio and El Paso, its geographic location and altitude of about 3,000 feet give Sanderson a climate unparalleled in the Southwest. The legacy of a rich and colorful past endures in the surviving architectural heritage of adobe and stucco buildings; the century-old depot; railroad buildings and cattle pens.

Sanderson was originally named Strawbridge when the Texas and New Orleans Railroad reached the townsite. When the railroad established a roundhouse and service facilities in 1881, it was renamed Sanderson for the railroad construction engineer. Terrell County was created out of Pecos County in 1905, and Sanderson was designated county seat. The main stream of economy is gas and oil production and ranching.