Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-12-21
LARGE ACREAGE
OF RICH FIELDS
BEAR BICCROPS
Town Home of Worlds
Largest Privately
Owned Irrigation Sys-
) tenn; loo, 600 Acres

Hope to the oppressed;
To the careworn. ease; to the wan
derer, rest;
To the alien a refuge; to the inval;u
health;
To the stranger a welcome; to the
laborer wealth.
And with truth on her brow and with
love in her heart,
A smile on her lips and gold in hcr
mart;
With the sunbeans kissing her beau
teous mouth,
She's the Queen Of the Valley" the
pride of the South.
BY W. T. (Billy) BURNETT
Surrounded by the largest
privately owned irrigation sys-
tenn in the world and with al
most 100. ZOO acres Of fertile
soil about her bearing rich har-
vests of fruit, truck, cotton and
corn, Mercedes, Queen City OF
the Valley" has a population of
close to 5000 and is growing
rapidly, new homes and new
business structures being under
construction constantly.
Located on a mound about SIX miles
from the Rio Grande, with miles Of well
paved streets and boulevards lined with
attractive and comfortable homes, many
churches, fine schools and progressive
business concerns, the town is dcserv-
ing of the name its residents have
chosen. for it has much of which to be
"as proud as a queen"
The streets of Mercedes are broad.
and lie at right angles almost exactly
east and west and north and south.
The town boasts that it has as much
paving as any city its size. in this SER
tion of the state, there being more
than nine miles of the streets paved
within the city limits. This work was
done at a cost of approximately $780,
900. 1.-THE only reason more paving IS
not being don at present is because
we have run out of streets to pave, y
a city official said.
Good Public Utilities
The city also has a complete system
VI StOIW btWCTS, JUS uCICu a lG"
years ago, which furnish excellent
drainage of storm waters with result
ant benefits.
In addition to this Mercedes has an
excellent sanitary sewage disposal
plant CT an improved type which is Of
concrete construction throughout. 4.
has sufficient capacity to care for =
population double the present size Of
the city. The plant was built at a
cost Of approximately 100000 accord
ing to an estimate made by City Engin-
Ger Van Berg, through whose work the
system was constructed.
City water and power are supplied
by the Valley Electric Ice Company, a
franchise having been granted to this
company about a year ago. Power and
light are supplied in a satisfactory
manner from the high tension lines be,
longing to the corporation and water
is supplied from a recently constructed
liberation plant which cost 100000 20
build. This plant is said to nave suf-
fi"ient capacity to supply all the usual
needs Of the city and to meet any
demand likely to be made in a fire
emergency in the future. New watcl
mains ana fire plugs have been Install
ed throughout the city in the past few
month
City Well Lighted
Mercedes has one Of the most Ella
borate street lighting systems to be
found in the Valley, street lights being
placed at every street intersection and
a system of boulevard lighting being
maintained en- the main business street
of the city. In addition to this many
business houses have cocperated In
having flood lighting equipment III
stalled.
The city park located near the Gulf
Coast Lines depot and in the heart OF
the business section, is one of the pref.
test in the Valley. 1t has many of the
native trees, a number of citrus and
several lace-like eucalyptus trees, sur
rounded by well-trimmed lawns. flcwer
beds and winding graveled walks. The
whole is borderei with a line Of state
~ palms.
,Cczy bungalows and more protein.
tious homes set in well-kept lawns. sur
rounded by shade trees and ~shrubbery
interspersed with palms. makeup the
attractive residential sections of the
town. This is a city of home owners.
Rent property is in dcmand here as
elsewhere in the Valley but a lalge
majority Ct the citizens have acquired
homes Of their own.
The school system of Mercedes is
highly efficient and is doing sple ndid
work under the direction of Superin-
tendent G. W. Taylor. There are three
fine buildings in use. a fine mission
type succeed high school building oc-
cupying an entire city block. recently
constructed at a cost of 100000; and
two grade school buildings. the Harriet
Claycombe school, a two story brica
building and the North side school,
where Mexican children are taught. The
high school offers % and a half units
Of utilization with the University OF
Texas and the corps of teachers all are
highly Drained. VOCATIONAL subject
taught include home economies. agricu..
ture and animal h"sbandry. Tht high
school ha a record enrolment of 227
pupils ef which . are in the senior
cfnSS.