The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1908-02-07
THE STORY OF
MERCEDES
Wonders Accomplished in One
Short Year.
From Small Beginning to Beautiful
Model Town. Water. the Wonder.
Worker, Will Soon Make Mer-
cedes Prosperous City.

MERCEDES, leXaS, req L.
Every day brings to Mercedes
people who were here year ago,
or perhaps less, when this land
was first put on sale. Many per-
sons who had the faith and fore
sight to see that this would make
the best location in the Lower Rio
Grande Valley, made investments
at that time, then returned home
to await the coming of the all i'm
portant factor in the development
of this region, i. e. water IN the
irrigating canal. The imminence
of this long delayed event is bring
ing all these people back TO pre-
pare their lands and get ready for
business.
At the time of their first visit
the hotel had just been opened
the American Rio Grande Land
and Irrigation Company had an
Office building which was barely
completed, the power house was in
process of construction, Mr..
Silver's residence was about finish
ed and there was a blacksmith
shop and an excuse for a store.
The trains stopped near the
power house and passengers alight-
ed in sand pile and walked a
quarter of mile to the hotel.
When these same people come IN
now and leave the train at an
artistic brick station, having a
tile roof, pass a beautiful park
occupying the block between the
lstation and the hotel, and walk up
to the prettiest public inn to be seen
in Southwest Texas, their ejacula-
tions and expressions of pleased
surprise are worth hearing.
After registering, the usual
thing is to return to the front
gallery to gaze and comment upon
the marvellous change to the east
ward. First to draw attention IS
the fine new annex 20 the hotel
across the street; then comes l..
IN. Booths drug store carrying a
thoroughly up-to-date- stock OF
drugs and toilet articles and a hne
ONYX soda fountain. On the corn-
er of the same block is the Hidal
go County Bank and further
down the street the Zachery store
and the school house. All these
are fine brick and stone buildings,
for they are on Texas Avenue
where nothing but freproof struc-
lures at minimum cost OF
$500 may be built. Further east
on Ohio and Illinois avenues may
be seen fully fifty building, both
stores and residences, of a less
Ie,,b-to,,tia1 character
By this time the average observer
becomes so interested that he starts
out on a tour of observation less
restricted than the view from the
porch. South on Texas Avenue,
| he sees the pretty bungalows OF
IEdw. Forney and Paul Welk and
one in process of building fol
Harry Appel. On Missouri
Avenue, the first street west oi
; Texas, intended as 4 strictly
residence street, beside Mr.. S. P.
Silver's beautiful home, the new
houses of Jas. NJ. Johnston, Jr.,
and F. E. Schobey are close al
hand. Jas. M. Johnston, ST., has
handsome brick bungalow II
process of construction on the
corner of Missouri and Third
Further south on this street is the
. tasteful California bungalow re
{ Gently completed by Mr.. G. K
, Watson. Ga Virginia Avenue i
t the new Smith clearinghouse,
roomy structure Just opened 10
i business. Two pretty bungalow
: occupied by David J. Young ant
n J. 7. Bishop respectively and til
i residences of J. n. Kilgore, job