Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-03-09
in DUR
VALE
BY CHARLES HALL

-
NOW readers draw UP close around
the family circle. We have a
little surprise for you today.
We have a real writer to whom 1t
gives us great pleasure to turn over
Our pen and ink.
Mrs. Jessie o. Wheeler, former
editor and owner OF The Herald.
please step up TO the mike and tell
all these folks what they are wait
ing TO hear:
mr.. EDITOR and Valley Herald
ll Readers:
1t is with great pleasure that ]
greet you again.
First / must thank Editor Hall
for his kind invitation 70 speak
through his own column to my
many old friends Of the Valley, who
knew me for SO many years as edi-
tor Of the Brownsville Daily Her
AID.
What memories this writing ono
more editorially for the Herald
srouses. How l loved it. / lived
for il alone. Almost my every wax
ing thought was devoted to the Her
aid and the work / would make II
accomplish for our beautiful VAL
ley. When my eyes first beheld
the Lower Rio Grande Valley. long
before the first railroad came. twas
almost a mere wilderness of thorny
brush. Brownsville in 1892 was &C
nwnIftAI ~.~t&A Av.1wr a mn nhnhftnnf<
four-fifths Of whom were Of Mexi-
can blood. Rio Grande City had
perhaps 1900. Hidalgo, then county
Seat OF our neighbor county. even
less and Point Isabel only a few
hundred. A few widely scattered
ranches made Gases OF life here
and there. All else was thorny
chaparral. or forests Of ebony, mes
quito an dcactus.
nut always the Valley was beaut-
n iful. with its blue skies, its rich
growth OF forest and thicket al
ways green. its sweet. balmy air.
Even then every ranch gave evil
Gence o funtold possibilities OF soil
ernd climate. Every ranch had It's
Yields snuggled closely along the re-
sacas. The farmers, all MexicanS,
knew nothing Of modern farm
methods. With primitive plows
fashioned of forked branches and
oxen for motive po we r {,
they stirred the rich soil. Yet,
though in these drouthy times there
was but a minimum OF moisture,
they produced two crops a year OF
corn and beans, the staff OF life
for them. with an abundance OF
pumpkins and ether truck, and
some cotton. A few ranches used
irrigation in d small way. There
was George Brulay. who even then
had made a fortune raising sugar
on his plantation east OF Browns
willie. and Frank Rabb. who pinned
his faith to the Valley, used to in
spire the newly come young editor
with samples Of the fine products
from Las Palmas, and Don Celes-
tin Jagou, with his surprising lemon
and orange trees. his bamboo he'd
ges. asparagus and celery patches.
AND then came William Radcliffe
~ from Louisiana. Somehow he
had heard Of the Valley. with
its rich soil and fine climate, and
its only need : water. So he came
and built the first big irrigating
canal in this Valley just outside OF
Brownsville.
Just about the time Robert Kle-
berg Of the great King ranch, Dor
ing down into the bowels OF the
earth. suddenly electrified the land
with a wonderful arteSian well. Soon
artesian water was pouring forth
its beneficent floods over thousands
OF acres Of land.
Then the people Of Brownsville
and the Valley were encouraged 10
renew their efforts TO obtain rail
connection with the outer world.
Twice before bonuses had been
raised to secure this boon. But
hope had been doomed to dlsap-
pointment. and many had begun 70
doubt whether fate intended TO con-
meet Brownsville with the outer
world by rail. Now. with irrigation
demonstrated as a success. new hope
was inspired. And along came
Uriah Lott. Another bonus was
raised and our first railroad was
built = but tbs. is another story.
TODAY, as the world knows, the
Valley has two OF the greatest
rail lines in the United States,
helping to build its destinies. Where
a few struggling small towns existed
in the late nineties. va have now
two score flourishing little cities,
a great citrus fruit industry, and
many other evidences of life and
development. as the Herald and
other Valley papers have often IL
l,nsfratnd "a effectively with Great