When the San Antonio and Aransas Pass railroad was extended as far as Rockport in 1888, two years after it had begun service between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, its effect on the town was immediate. The population jumped from 600 to 2,500 in just two years. Four trains a day served the burgeoning port, allowing for the swift movement of fish in one direction and tourists in the other. In due course, trucks and automobiles took over these duties and the town lost its railroad connection but not its depot, which is most likely still in its original location.