In 1882, the H&TC began construction on a spur line which would span over 100 miles from Ennis to the city of Paris, Texas, linking a southern terminus of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad. This would bypass the city of Dallas and provide a direct link from St. Louis, Missouri to the port cities of Houston and Galveston. However, in 1885 - just three years into construction - the H&TC went into receivership after only building half of the line, stopping just south of the city of Quinlan. In 1892, the Texas Midland Railroad was chartered by businesswoman Hetty Green who would purchase the northeastern spur from the H&TC. The link between the cities of Ennis and Paris would finally be made 13 years later after the initial proposal of the route when construction was completed in 1895 under the direction of Hetty Green's son.