Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-12-21
Fine ORCHARDS
OFYOUNC TREES
\ JUST STARTING
Development From Vii
lage Of Few Years
Ago One of Valley
Marvels

industry, its residents claim,
with only about five years of
history back of it, looks into a
future of bright prospects and
high hopes. 1t already has come
to be one of the busiest Valley
centers, an advance from a
sleeping village only a few years
ago. Surrounded by fertile, rich
producing fields and fine or
ehards filled with ripening yellow fruit,
1t presents a different picture to THAI
OF 1919 when only a few farms sur
rounded it, even fewer orchards exist
ed and its business men depended
largely on the local population for
airport.
Now a thriving immunity of a least
q thousand population and growing so
rapidly that a daily census would be
necessary to determine it's size, only
three years ago it claimed less thar 400
people living inside the corporation.
More acreage is devoted to citrus cul-
ture around La Feria than in any other
section of the Valley its residents claim.
and it still has a large unbroken acreage
OF fine citrus growing land. More trees
have been planted on tracts surround
ing the town during the past two years
than in any other section twice its size
in the Valley. its nursery men claim.
Citrus, the citizens explain is the VAL
ley's biggest claim to greatness.
Scores of Homes Beautiful"
Scores of homes beautiful" haye
been built in and near the town, each of
them replacing a once thriving growth
of mesquite and cacti. Prosperous BUSH
ness enterprises line both sides of the
streets in the business section and the
limits, of the town continually are
spreading into the surrounding farming
section. business men from every quar-
ter of the nation have visited the little
town and seeing it's rich soils and its
progressive spirit have moved in to help
IN its development, and the transforma-
ton has been little short, of marvellous.
The AL Parker Securities company, de-
veloRers of. more than 1900 acres of
what in 1921 was brush and wilderness
into well titled farms, have played an
important part in the growth of the
town, residents say. Thousands of trees
have been planted on the land opened
by settlers from many states brought in
by this company and their universal
success has added to the success of the
town. Hundreds of cars of truck grown
on land sold by the Parker company
have been handled by the towns pro-
duce dealers and the bank has been en-
r:ched by the deposits of these farmers.
Thousands of trees nave been Sold to
the growers in this development and in
q. few short years car after car of fruit
will be moving from the young orchards.
The movement this year will be a big
item in the prosperity of the town.
La Feria holds a community fair each
year and the best products shown at
that time are sent to the Mid Winter
fair at Harlingen. Exhibits from the
fertile fields of this section captured
the first prize ribbon in 1922 and third
honors went to her in 1928.
Local Bank Reflects Growth
2 The banks of a town always are con-
sidered a good barometer of prosperity
and the Cameron County Bank at La
ICIAo ACAACCIS Tue 1lUdHcldI CROWN
of the community. The report of this
institution at the close of business Sep
TENDER Is, 1924, shows deposits Of $780,
929.l9 and total resources of S518,44O.7 10.
The statement Of September IA, 1923.
just a year before, gave deposits as
$475,373.65 and total resources of S4O6.-
660.51. This is an increase in the wear
OF a little more than $780, 600 in deposits
and of more than the same amount in
resources. During the same period the
capital stock of the bank was increased
from $4,000 to $35. 900.
Bigger, better, buster La Feria," is
the motto of the Chamber Of Commerce
in this own and W.. H. Steffins, presi-
dent and Harold s. Hensley, secretary,
with the wide-awake progressive mem
bership are doing much to make the
townslive up to the slogan. A number Of
big undertakings are on foot and a call
for service of any kind that. tends to
help the town or community gets a
ready response.
Gold Course, Country Club
One of the projects in course of con-
and to which La Feria points
with pride, is the golf course and pro-
posed couasry. club.
In connection with this project is the
proposal to build a modern tourist hotel
at a. cost of $4,000. Plans are being
made now to finance the hotel and the
golf eourse-with nine holes-is now in
use. Both of these are a part of the
wide. scheme of development fostered
by the AL Parker Securities Company.
The combined cost of the hotel and the
course will be approximately 100000
AS fast as development has been in
the past few years plans for the i'm
mediate future are on an even more pre-
scale. One of the under
is the construction of a
bridge across the arroyo about
three-quarters of a mile south of town
the cost of about $4,000. The bridge
will connect the highway between Santa
Rosa on ten north and Santa Maria on
the south each about six miles distant
from La Feria.
Bonds for street paving have been
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