Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-12-21
ALAMO ELAST
YAIIEYCITY TO
, INCORPORATE
Free Lots Offered for
/ New Business Houses
and Residences; C. of
c. Live Organization

The first business building was erect.
ed in Alamo, a town of more than 600
people, in 1920 and the town was incor-
porated in May of this year, giving it
right to the claim of being the young
est Incorporation, and it is by far the
fastest growing, its residents say.
Four business and seven residence
lots are to be given free to firms or in
diyiduals who will erect business hous-
es or residences of a type which meets
certain restrictions before March l and
January !, 1925, respectively, according
to an announcement recently made by
the Alamo Chamber of Commerce, one
CT the Invest organizations of the kind
in the Valley. The lots are to be donat-
ed by c. H.. Swallow, owner of the Ala
mo townsite. This novel method of ad-
yertising the towns advantage is at
tracing wide attention, it is said.
The first colonization work was done
on the Alamo tract 1914, byb the Ala
mo Land and Sugar Co., a Lincoln, Ne
braska, corporation. The first sales
were to prosperous farmers of the
northern states and were in 40, 80 acres
anu even ldEStE TRAITS. Dt lO-O dp-
proximately 10000 acres of mesquite
and cactus had been cleared, farm
homes dotted the land scape, brush
trails were abandoned for real roads
and canals for irrigation had been built
to almost every section Of the tract.
First Building Erected
The need of a town became apparent
and a large tract of land for a townsite
vas set aside in 1919 by the Alamo
Land and Sugar Co. The first building
a residence, was erected on the present
townsite before it was laid out in 1918
by>J. G. Real, who still owns a splendid
home in the town and a block of sub
stantiai business building besides. The
first business building was erected ear
ly in. 1920 by C.. A. Phillips and this was
the beginning of a series of projects
which saw a number of business build
ings and residences completed before
the end of that year.
In the election for an Incorporation
of the town. held in May, 1924, only
three, negative votes were cast. Frank
J. Denzer was elected first mayor and
Frank w. Rompf and Morgan Olson
were elected commissioners, the COM
mission form of government having
been adopted.
The men who planned the townsite of
Alamo looked into the future and pro-
vided for d "city beautiful Many
parks were laid out and set aside, the
streets are amply wide to allow the
planting of flowers and shrubs along
the walks on both sides of the streets
and ample parking space is provided in
the business section.
The development of the fertile farm
ing section about the town has caused it
to flourish ais it has in the past ana
explains the present era of growth.
There are 10000 acres of wonderfully
fertile land in the trade territory of the
town, the 40 and so acres tracts in
which it was sold originally have since
been cut into five, ten and 20 acre
blocks and now is ~intensively farmed.
Enormous crops of vegetables are prod
aced on the tract and more than 1900
bales of cotton were ginned this year.
Crops Worth sS0c0, 600
Crops from that section to the end of
September, 1924 had sold for $685., 900,
according to- an estimate made by Ma
yOIt DtnZtT dnu -. d.. SHuINdktT, sec
rotary of the Chamber of Commerce.
Some Of the leading crops in this esti-
mate were: cabbage, 10000; beets and
carrots, SCI 900; cotton, S525, 600; cotton
seed, 500, 900; and broom corn $50, 900. A
number of other crops netted smaller
amounts.
The citrus industry is just being de-
veloped on the Alamo tract but the fine
grapefruit, orange and lemons grown
on the older orchards indicate that it
soon will take its place with the lead
ing fruit growing sections. At the begin
ming of the present year there were on
ly about 1000 acres in orchards on the
tract but this has been more than dou-
bled in the past IL months and in the
next three or -four years this will be-
come one Of the sections leading crops.
The town recently has completed a
fine $25, 900 grade school building, and
it is said that another soon will be
needed. Pupils who have reached high
school attend the Pharr-San Juan-Ala-
mo school which is located half way be-
tween the first two named towns, and
is one of the best in the Valley.
Alamo provides a free moving picture
show every Saturday night for it's citi-
zeis and for residents Of the trade ter
ritery which draws at least 1000 people
every week and which has had as many
as 1000 attending. All roads leading into
town are kept in good condition by road
clubs which work through the Alamo
Chamber OF, Commerce. A prize is
at the end of the year to the
club which has kept its road in the
best condition during that time.
RUSSIAN FAMINE At HAND
Stephen Graham. writing t. the Lon
don. Times. reports from Riga as fol-
lows; "On all hands i hear fumors of
the coming famine in Russia. On the
there are many escapes. or ct