Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-09-28
IS RICH REGION
Valley of the Rio Grande Famous
for Its Early Crops,
River Also a Landmark In Expeditions
Of Spanish ExpIorers-Heard
Shot Like That at Concord.

'The Rio Grande, flowing between
Texas and Mexico, which has been
giving an all too realistic imitation of
the Mississippi on rampage, is nor
mally so shallow and sluggish that I'M
migration agents and customs officers
are kept busy 'shooing' back Mexicans
who would enter the United States by
the simple and informal procedure OF
wading in" says bulletin from the
Washington headquarters Of the Ma
tional Geographic society In regard TO
the country's latest food region.
1T is hard" continues the bulletin,
"for the MeXico-bound traveller TO
realize under normal conditions that
the ribbon of water meandering
through a broad bed OF sand is the
stream that in Spanish means The
Great River But once year, at least,
and sometimes often, the Rio Grande
fully lives up to its name.
1.-THE loan banks of the lower Rio
Grande and its broad, fertile valley,
covered with heavy growth of the
thorny mesQuite-half shrub and half
tree-was long considered wilder
ness and given over TO deer, wild pigs.
armadillos and jackrabbits. Then
came ranchmen to Craze great herds
OF beef cattle among the feathery sea
of green. Large areas somewhat re-
moved from the river are still given
over TO cattle raising.
But near the stream pumping sta
tions and irrigation canals have come
into existence In recent years. and
each spring and summer thousands Of
carloads of watermelons, cantaloupes,
onions, cabbage, and other vegetables
stream north from the region TO help
feed the more northern portions of
the country. For this region near the
warm Gulf of Mexico and barely out
side the tropics, completes with Flor
ida and the Imperial valley in produc-
ing early crops.
"Still more recently another develop
ment has taken place which promises
10 make the Rio Grande Il second San
Joaquin valley. Between Il million and
half and two million citrus fruit
trees have been planted, and in the
winter Of 1921-'22 the first carloads
of oranges and grapefruit were
shipped out.
Historically, the Rio Grande has
held a prominent place. II was one Of
the chief landmarks In the famous ex-
petitions Of the Spanish explorers who
pushed up into Texas and on 10 New
Mexico and California four centuries
ago. Later it became a sort Of south
ern Concord; for If the shot fired in
Massachusetts In April, 1875, was
heard round the world shot fired on
the banks Of the lower Rio Grande on
another April morning seventy-one
years later by Gen. Zachary Taylor's
soldiers might be said TO have been
heard over an area of half a million
square miles. That area was added to
the United States as result Of the
war which resulted in the annexation
Of what is now California, Nevada.
Utah, Arizona and parts Of New Mexico,
Colorado and Wyoming. In addition, this
skirmish near the mouth Of the Rio
Grande led to the confirmation of the
annexation of Texas which had
brought an additional quarter million
square miles under the American flag
'Part OF the region lately inundated
was known 10 thousands of doughbOys
during the mobilization along the Mex.
lean border, shortly before the United
States entered the World war. Port
Isabel, almost at the mouth Of the Rio
Grande, came into newspaper fame In
the fall of 1920 when Senator Harding,
having just finished the strenuc;:s
campaign which took him to the White
House, went there for big game fish
ing"