El Campo celebrated its 119th birthday Wednesday with little fanfare. No events or speeches were planned to mark the occasion. The city, established in the late 1880s as “Prairie Switch” by the Texas-Mexican rail line, grew steadily, with businesses like the first store and Rice Hotel opening by 1898. El Campo officially incorporated in 1905 and saw rapid growth in the early 1900s. By 1910, it had 2,000 residents and numerous businesses.