In 1896, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad built a temporary town about 15 miles north of Waco with one purpose: to crash two locomotives head-on in front of a paying crowd. They called it Crush, Texas, after passenger agent William George Crush, the man behind the stunt. The settlement had a grandstand, a restaurant, and a depot, and round-trip tickets cost two dollars.

Organizers expected around 20,000 spectators. Reportedly more than 40,000 showed up. On September 15, 1896, a bright green engine and a red one met at speed, and both boilers exploded, sending metal into the crowd. At least two people were killed and many were injured. Photographer Jarvis Deane lost an eye. Composer Scott Joplin later wrote “The Great Crush Collision March” inspired by the event.

The town was dismantled by nightfall. Crush was fired, then rehired the next day. Today a historical marker at the Katy Depot in West commemorates what happened, and it’s a genuinely easy drive from Waxahachie. It’s a strange, tragic, and very Texas story that raises questions about spectacle and crowd safety that still feel relevant. Have you ever visited a historical marker that told a story you couldn’t believe was real?