The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1907-06-14
Development of Land Between
Fordyce and Brownsville.
W. 0. tiOraday Tells of the Great Work
of Converting Old Battlsfields into
Truck Gardens, Fruit Orchards
and Vineyards.


General Taylor with his army OF
brave men made their trip into
Mexico are being converted into
garden spots says w. D. Horna-
day in the San Antonio Express.
The same energetic force that
wrested victory over Mexico in
the face of tremendous odds is
rapidly bringing about a wonder
full transformation of this lower
Rio Grande border region.
For many long years the allu-
vial valley of the Rio Grande lay
dormant. The remoteness of the
territory placed it out of the reach
of the ever active American cap
ital. The awakening came with
the building of the St. Louis,
Brownsville & Mexico Railroad
which affords the valley region an
outlet for the various products of
the soil that may be raised with
very little effort.
Stretching south from Harlin-
gen to Brownsville, a distance OF
twenty-five miles, and west to the
new town of Samfordyce, a dis
lance of fifty miles and eastward
to the Gulf coast, another twenty
five miles or so and thence down
to the mouth of the Rio Grande,
are more than 100000 acres of
land which is rapidly being brought
under the touch of irrigation. In
cluded this area are the famous
Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma
battlefelds. When the irrigation
improvements were started these
places which served in a great
measure to bring about the ultimate
victory of American force of arms
were overgrown with a dense
growth of small timber and a will
derness of chapparral. The con-
quest of labor and money has al
ready accomplished a great deal.
No section of the United States of
similar size is undergoing at this
time the amount OF agricultural
development that is to be witness
ed here.
TIE irrigation system, known
as the Mercedes project, which B.
F. Yoakum and associates are hav-
ing constructed here exceeds IN
size any private canal scheme at
tempted in this country. To Mr..
Yoakum is given the credit fol-
bringing to the attetion OF the
monied interests the wonderful
possibilities of the Brownsville re-
gion in the matter of agricultural
development. Hr had investigat-
ed and familiarized himself with
the soil and climate here long
years before he had reached posi-
ton in the railway and fnancla
world to put into execution hi:
plans for retaining the hundreds
of thousands of acres of alluvla
soil. The success of reclamation
projects inaugurated under the
auspices of the Federal Govern
ment were but examples of wha'
could be done for the valley of the
Rio Grande. Mr.. Yoakum built {
railroad down to Brownsville from
the north and extended branch
| line from Harrington to Samfol'
dyce, splitting the valley lands II
half for distance of fifty miles
With the assurance that an Quite
to the market was now afforded
the enlistment of capital to esta
blish great irrigation systems wa
a comparatively easy manner. Some
| idea Of the amount that the Mer
cedes project will cost may be hat
when it is known that more thar
81 ,125, 900 has already been ex
pended and the great system o
canals and laterals is far frou
complete. When the plans ar
finally consumated more than 81,
$4,000 will have expended in tk
work aud 100000 acres of Ian,
placed under water. 1t is intend
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