Nogales international., 1935-11-02
AT LONG RANGE
BY J. b. BRISTOL

"Contentedly smoking a pipe"
the writer looks back over the years
in Nogales to the good old days.
and the bad ones too-even as far
back as when this was a mans
town" and incoming school teach
ers hardly finished years tutor
ing Of the Nogales youth before they
were picked off in marriage; when
there was no line fence and Amer
leans from the Arizona side con-
gregated with the Mexicans of the
Sonora side at the plaza each Sun
day night while the orchestra play
ed; when Americans patronized the
bars of Nogales, Sonora, because
they were more orderly and served
better merchandise; when Nogales,
Sonora, was free zone and i'm
portations from France could be
purchased cheaply in one of the
finest stores ever to do business
along the border; when two bits
Mexican was the smallest change
and pennies were noneXistant; when
Banjo Dick" entertained with his
banjo between shoe shines; when
the civic organization of the town
was the Fire Department and the
social organization was the Athlet-
ic Club; yes, even back to the days
of the last two-gun man. Hunter,
who was killed by local citizen;
then the coming of the first au-
tomobile and the excitement cauS-
ed by its owner, a young lawyer,
when he attempted to drive it into
saloon doors and managed on one
occasion GLAND it into the arroyo;
when you were out in the country
when one walked beyond the found
ry site; when the High School
grounds was a peach orchard, the
mecca of the small boy at one sea-
son of the year; when in going out
Morley Avenue you climbed a low
hill at Beck Street; when three We
hicle and two foot bridges, all wood
construction, graced the arroyo;
when we congregated in front of
the old Montezuma Hotel under the
umbrella trees and the location OF
the poctoffice changed with almost
every postmaster; back during those
"good old days" when for thirty
years there occurred only one bank
ruptcy and one bank failure; up to
1921 when there were seven bank
ruptcies in one year.
Yes, they were good old days
for the times; frontier town was
in the making. Now, look at it! Or
namental fence, paving and fine
garitas on the line; a level paved
street on Morley Avenue; the un-
slightly arroyo covered and a wide
busy street made of Grand Avenue;
two Federal buildings; new Mon
tezuma Hotel and the Bowman Ho-
tel; substantial business blocks
City Hall; an ornamental city park;
free mail delivery; everybody on
wheels; and all the many things
that make up modern living and
comforts. Just the transition from
the small town to city. But please
remember, many of these things did
not just happen There was thought
and work behind each move; each
improvement. The amount of bust
ness transacted in. the city justi-
fled the improvements when they
we're made. The Federal buildings;
the International line improve
ments; the removal Of "Yaqui Hill''
and the grading down of the hill
in front of the Court House; free
mail delivery; good roads leading
into the city; the city park i'm
proved three times; paving Of the
city and many other improvements
had their inception in the Cham
Der of Commerce and each repre-
sented hard work by civic minded
citizens. Civic improvements con-
t1nued to go forward but business
flucuated; It's ups and downs were
measured by the state of affairs in
Mexico, aided or retarded by the
condition of the mining and cattle
business but also greatly influenced
by Federal regulations, tariff and
immigration. The most valuable
work for business interests by the
Chamber of Commerce was in COM
batting Federal regulations and acts
and promoting friendly Interna-
tional relations.
While civic workers were busy in
itiating improvements and protect
ing business, there has, during the
past twenty three years. been a
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