The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1906-10-09

I aAASCOs In JOAA I'll -
Brown is located is mostly made
soil and is very fertile. A SINAI
garrison is kept busy policing tn
post and especially in keeping
down the weeds.
The post has never been a pop
ular one with army officers, TO
the reason that it was so Difficult
of access. Prior to the advent o
the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mex
leo railway, troops were carried
to the post by Morgan line steam,
ers from New Orleans or Calves
ton. Commissary supplies were
transported in the same manner,
The channel of Rrazos de Santiago
is of such a nature that boats oil
large size can not cross it, hence
troops and equipments had to be
lightered from outside of the chan
mel to Point Isabel. Some years
ago the steam lighter for that pur-
pose was destroyed i'll storm, and
subsequently sail boats were used
for that purpose. If the weather
was bad the lighter would not De
able to come out, and hence it of
ten happened that troops had to
remain on board of the boats for as
much as week or ten days. The
other route was by land, which
included a march from Hebronville
to Rio Grande City, where Fort
Ringgold is located, thence down
the river to Fort Brown. And still
route was the overland
march of 200 miles from Laredo to
Fort Brown by way of Fort Ring
gold. Mail was carried by stage
from Alice, which required So
hours to make the trip from Alice
to Brownsville, hence Houston
mail was always from two to three
days old, while it required nearly |
eight days for mail to reach the
tort from the war department at
Washington.
PART IN NATIoN's HISTORY.
In the 90 years that have passed
Fort Brown has played its part in
he development of nation. From
he ramparts of the old fort the
lrst shot was fred that became the
ignal gun in war that had to be
ought in order TO quiet the title to
ands in dispute between the two
lations. From its shot riddled
'arapets the men behind the guns
arried Old Glory across the sui
en-, murky Rio Grande and placed
t upon sthe castles of the proud
ons OF the west. 1t is true they
ulled it down again, but not until {
D Texas the title to the vast area
etween the Nueces and the Rio {
lrande was quoted, and not until
here was given to the United Stat
5 territory that included ten de-
rees of latitude on the Pacific
oast and extending east to the q
10 Grande, a distance of 1000 {
lilies, an area II times the extent a
the state of New York, covering |
81 $50 square miles, and with i
lis great domain was added to the S
'ealth of the nation the uncomput t
/ resources of mineral wealth tax s
i from California, New Mexico,
western Colorado, Utah a
nd Navada. All of this might f
ave happened without Fort t
rowu, and probably would, but T
lie truth of,history is that it hap 7
aued with Fort Brown. Fort 4
rown opened the gateway to the /,
west with all its glorious G
innate, natural resources and gilt t
ing mineral wealth. 1t is the <
ony of fate that practically all Y
lie territory acquired through that /,
lteway should be developed within 4
lie so years that have passed, ex- c
,pt that which lies Immediately a
thin the sphere of the old fort. t
or while the gunners in May, a
S46, pointed westward the path f
civilization and progress, the D