Douglas owned farms and canneries around Tyler (as well as possibly the first peach orchard in East Texas) and was interested in finding better outlets for his produce. Douglas petitioned the Texas legislature for a railroad charter in 1870, and the legislature granted one at the end of 1871. After many difficulties in raising sufficient funds in Reconstruction Texas, construction finally began in 1875 and the railroad began operation in 1877. This was the Tyler Tap, basis of the later Cotton Belt Route.
