Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-01-13

when the record these years have made is brought a.
view.
Only s~ixtysix years since Old Rough and Ready
marched with his intrepid band from the Nueces ihroug'
the barren wastes Of the disputed strip. worthless Their
except as i represented the principle for which our Tex
as fathers were c%ontending. Only sixty SIX years since
Taylor and his little band met the naughty Arista p
Palo Alto and drove him to Resaca IT, ia Palma. and
thence across The Rio Gfande, and Brownsville became
American territory and Old Glory was unfurlcd 10 the
breezes Of the Gulf.
Sixty six years Of hisiory-such history rs would
challenge the best efforts Of the chroniclcr fired with the
story Of the building Of an empire and the doingS Of
brave men and fair women Transforming the wilderness
into a very garden of the Lord. What wealth or material
for such an historian. as the forest gives way 10 The
orchard. the parchcd plains are made fruitful by the
waters of great %irrigating canals. where cities rise like the
work Of enchantmcnt. and a great valley y made the
homes Of thousands. almost ia 4 night.
But that is another story. and W. leave II FOR some
future historian 10 tell What of Brownsville past ,
Just 4 little Mexican village. the suburb or environment
Of the City Of MatamoroS. Such il was when Taylor
reached across the Rio Grande and chased Ari,ia and his
legions across the river.
Then an army post. where NJ od Fort Brown. hence
the name. a few soldiers were left 10 hold what had becn
800 *fN' ~" 'AH WI WI W 'NNHIN' 'F VI i' Wn~t 1
important posts On the border after peace had been made
With the American occupation came the adventurous
pioneers. stockmrn. ranchmen. farmers along the rivcrl
banks. merchants. traders. such rs every new country
needs and must receive III It y 70 b. built into tn fabric
Of our country IS structure. As the commercial Importance
Of the place began 10 be understood. the supplies for the
newly conquered territory ~ well ~ for northern
Mexico. were brought i'm sailing boats "a the Pass OF
BrazoS Santiago and over the bar a the mouth ri The
river and nm ia brownsville - hnaf~ tbat tv.rs all, al
rome mp At some stages Of the water. Those Interested ~
this traffic. with the Army officers. and ranchmen |
together with the Spanish merchants that had long
conducted the business of the section. constituted the
society Of the place. while the greater part Of the
inhabitants were the mixed Mexican population that had
made their homes here for many years. Thus il continued
till the period of the civil war.
When the other ports of the Gulf and Atlantic SEA
board were closed by the Yankee gunboatS. Brownsville
was the only point where the commerce of the state
and even adjoining states could have cgrcss 70 the outside
world The interest Of Mexico in the Rio Grandc kept IL
omen. Great caravans oi ~ and mule teams with the
precious bales Of cotton worth fifty cents = pound IL the
markets of the world. nloadcd their burdens NJ m
wharveS Of Brownsville and carried back to the interior
all the supplies of the people that they did not make IN
their own homes. A trip a. Brownsville then was an
event ~ 4 lifetime
After the closing of the war between the states
great activity continued m 4 commercial way. The Rio
Grandc railway from Point Isabel to Brownsville was
built n 1872. furnishing the means of transportation
from the Pass for The produce Of the world brought III The
ships that made this the greatest port Of entry into
Mexico Soon after this the Mexican government granted
a subsidy for the building Of the road from MatamoroS
TO Monterrey. which was soon constructed ~ FAR Al
San Miguel. and later 10 it, intended destination. When
this was done Brownsville had the trade IF Mexico
''coralled.
Influences then as now hostile to Brownsville
prevented the building 81 4 proposed line mp the vallr,
ON the American side. which would have held the business
permanently. The failure to hnld this road from the
Brazos pass cost Brownsville the trade Of Mexico. Roads
crossing the Rio Grandc NJ Laredo. Eagle Pass and IT
PaSo diverted the business to those points. emphasizing
the fact that then as now transportation is the key a.
the commercial supremacy Of any city.
A period Of inaciiviiy-not f. say NJ Stagnation -
followed. The population OF Matamoros dropped from
sixty Or seventy thousand % one fourth that number or
less. Brownsville barely held her own. or probably
decreased in population The army post was the chief
source of her support
In 1900 the census showed d population of sos. Up
to the advent Of the 81. Louis. Brownsville and Mexico
Railway in 1904, that number had not been increased. II
is doubtful if at the middle Of the decennial period it had