Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-02-19

0@h@1ASSs president OF the texas
Historical association, and read at
the Rio Grande Valley Federation
Of Women's clubs ut The December
meeting held in Edinburg. Due 20
lack of time, Judge Harwood was
unable 70 complete the reading of
the entire paper, but the interest
IN his subject was so great, that a
motion was made to have the paper
published in Valley papers.
This Is the third, and last, in
stallment, the first having APP
peared in The Herald, Sunday. Feb.
. and the second on Sunday
Feb. IL.
Early in the war all Southern ports
were Dlockaded by Northern gun
boats, thereby cutting out all Tor
eign commerce, which was a serious
blow TO the states. They had no out
let for their cotton and other MA
teriai and no ource 10 ~replenIsh
manufactured articles. Inc most ac-
eessible and abogt the only market
Tor cotton grown by the negraes on
the exa Plantations, as well as oth-
or states was Matamoros. Hence this
trade became quite lucrative. indeed
the most prosperous IN the whole
life of Maramoros; during which
time IT reached a population esti-
mated at 10000. the roads Leading
to brownsville were lined with
wagon trains, hauling cotton to mar
ket and returning with dry goods,
impSHepts and necessary plantation
supplier.%1E hen too, there had been
quite a n~umbsSof people in Texas
r..,@ 49,. - IrVs.n-
men, who left thscSste to avoid
moros seemed to be favorin refuge
quite prominent, such L. j. Va
A. Jack Hamilton, James StillnN
and George W. Breckenridge. Some
Of these men entered the speculative
cotton market and accumulated
money in gold and silver, which
formed the basis for subsequent for
tunes. Then when the war was over
"A large number of the Confederate
leaders. rather than surrender, fpor
their way 20 MatamOros anhNEo
grated thence to Central and Sof-a.s
America, making it for a time the
rendezvous of Confederate officers.
Then came the French occupation
Vi 1lCAlAUs AHuGt AiH amman NhaNA
was an infracticn Of the Monroe -
trine causing the United States TO
mobilize its army at Brownsville I'M
til the fall of Macmillan and with
drawal of the French from Mexico.
After the Civil war both Browns
willie and MatamcroS, especially the
latter. lost population and activity.
The advent q the railways diverted
trade to mo- accessible cities.
As a gar1Eon town, with a large
Mexican population, Brownsville was
characteristic and different. The
trading territory was up and down
the river. with clusters Of ~lacals on
the military road. occasional farms.
such as Brulay, the Santa Maria and
the San Juan plantations and a few
farms under irrigation. II was reached
the stage from Corpus Christi and
by steamboat 10 Point Isabel. both
Long and tireSome. This brings US
Town to modern history, beginning
with 1904.
The purpose OF this meagre sketch
Is 10 emphasize the important his
tore events each Of which presents a
rich source for historical research
md rnl;-ht-ninr details 20 those liv-
irc in the TO Grande Valley.
The sources CT Spain and the
City Of Mexico have been fairly well
exhausted by scholars and their work
published in the quarterly Of recent
wears. This cover the period of dis
oovery. and the Mission period. The
late Frank c. Pierce has made the
local studies much easier in his brief
history by fixing dates Of all import
ant historic events ard goes into
considerable details in the Civil war
period and the Cortina war and ban
ditry. There is still a mass of de-
tails to be filled in and much historic
treasure to be mined in the history
of the Valley. Old letters. diaries.
newspaper files. the recollections Of
old citizens fast passing away. mu.
nicipal minutes and other official
records; the books Of the old mer-
chants conducting business during
the Civil war. Then there were To-
cal feuds. smugglers. bands of cattle
thieves and occasionally invasions
from the Mexican side Of the river,
the record of which Is in our lam
ruage. Interesting papers might be
written on steamboat days OF the Rio
Grande. cotton speculation resunilng
the blockade, the gold search to Cali
fernia. smuggling across the river.
Mexican ~invssions, Indian raids.
early politics. Confederate occups-
tion. Federal occupations and en-
nurerable others.
To those fortunate enough To be
proficient in Spanish there must he
mines of historic material in the an
cie-t files and records - be found
at Reynosa. Mier. CamarHo and Mata-
moros. These studies could be eX-
tended TO the different capitals Of
the rresent state Of Tamaulipas. 70
Saltillo ard Monclova and 70 the rec
ords Of the old Missions formerly
-~curving the site OF your r'odprn
Mission and the old town OF Hidalgo
in Texas. While the Indians roamed