History

Who to call in Blessing 

In the early days, when there were no roads, ox teams and horses hauled goods across the trackless prairies. Cattle were slaughtered for their hides and tallow, which were then shipped East by water. After the Civil War, cattle were driven north to Dodge City and Topeka, Kansas. Those drives were long and treacherous, taking months to complete. Travel by water was the still the best means of transportation.

Jonathan E. Pierce, owner of Rancho Grande on the east side of the Tres Palacios River near Deming's Bridge, owned cattle and land along the Tres Palacios, as did other pioneer families.

The town of Blessing began in the mind of Jonathan E. Pierce, with the dream of a rail terminal in this area. Mr. Pierce and other settlers gave land for a right-of-way, and in 1903 the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway (now the Southern Pacific) laid tracks from Bay City, turning south at Midfield and terminating at Palacios. In 1905 the SLB&M was build crossing the GH&SA and the terminus became a two-railroad town.

J.E. Pierce proposed that the new town should be called "Thank God," in gratitude for the coming of the railroad. However this first choice was rejected by the U.S. Post Office. Thus his second choice, "Blessing," became the town's official name.

The new town of Blessing became a center for the early settlers and their families in the area. In 1907 the Blessing townsite as platted, laying out lots and blocks with streets, alleys, and a town square. The Blessing Hotel (now a registered landmark) was built to cater to travelers and landseekers.

(We are indebted to Historic Matagorda County, Volume 1, published in 1986 by Matagorda County Historical Commission, for information used in this article.)

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