History
Hidalgo County's First Oil Well
John M. Lawrence No. 1 oil well was brought in September 18, 1934, near this site by veteran driller Otto C. Woods. Well flowed 1,000 or more barrels a day. At first the oil formed a lake beside the well. County has produced 20 million barrels of oil. (1968)
Industry & Science
Hidalgo Irrigation Pump Plant
The semi-arid Lower Rio Grande Valley was productive only for cattle grazing until several steam-powered irrigation systems were established in the early 20th century. In 1909, a steam pump was built here to channel Rio Grande water to about 40,000 acres of land.
Transport
Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridges
At the time of the formation of Hidalgo County in 1852, the village located here, originally named Edinburgh, became the new county seat. A ferry service was operating between the village and Reynosa, Mexico. By 1861 the town's name was changed to Hidalgo, and regular ferry service was inaugurated in 1910 by Crisoforo Vela (1856-1932).
Industry & Science
Hilltop Gardens
Founded in 1939 by Lee and Sherman Ewald, Hilltop Gardens, among the first commercial aloe vera farms in the U.S., started on 100 acres north of La Villa. The Ewalds built their farmhouse atop a small knoll and named the property Hilltop Gardens for its rolling topography. Lee Ewald recognized the medical properties of aloe vera and pioneered its commercial production in the Rio Grande Valley.
History
Home of William Jennings Bryan
(1860 - - 1925) Once the lands of the Mission of the Oblate Fathers, this property (160 acres) was owned by Bryan from 1910 to 1916 - - While residing here he wrote many articles and engaged in a magazine debate with Senator Albert J. Beveridge. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
History
Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
This cemetery was established in 1913 on land give by the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company to Immanuel Lutheran Church. The cemetery has served Lutherans throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The oldest grave is that of Wilhelm Schumacher, who died in 1911 and was reinterred here from his family farm when the cemetery was established.
History
John H. Shary Home
Built 1917 by Father of the Texas citrus industry, pioneer developer of Rio Grande Valley, and the Intercoastal Canal. For 20 years chairman Sharyland School Board. Here in 1953, Mrs. Shary, her daughter, Mrs. Allen Shivers, and Governor Shivers entertained President Dwight D. Eisenhower during Falcon Dam dedication.
History
Juan Davis Bradburn
John Davis Bradburn (1787-1842) was born in Virginia and reared in Kentucky. He entered Mexico in 1817 with Francisco Mina's army to help upset Spanish colonial forces in the War of Independence. He became a naturalized Mexican citizen and in 1821 married into an aristocratic family. Bradburn hired Henry Austin to operate a steamboat on the Rio Grande in 1828.
History
Kiwanis Club of Pharr
This Mission style building was the first meeting place in the Kiwanis International organization owned by a local club. It was built in 1928, 13 years after the formation of the first Kiwanis club in Detroit, Michigan, and one year after the Pharr club was chartered.
History
La Lomita Chapel
Lands for La Lomita ("The Little Hill") Mission came from the 1767 Spanish grant of Joseph A. Cántu, and were donated in 1861. Used as farms and ranches, the lands supported the priests and their charities. The original chapel, built in 1865 at a campsite on Brownsville-Roma trail has been rebuilt or restored two or more times. It was relocated at this present site in 1899.
History
La Lomita Farms
In 1849 Catholic priests of the missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate began mission work in Texas under the direction of Bishop Jean Marie Odin. From Brownsville, they traveled throughout the lower Rio Grande Valley, ministering to the residents of the area. Through their work in Northern Mexico, they met a Frenchman named Rene Guyard.
History
La Noria Cardenena
Parts of present Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy, and Kenedy counties were once included in two Spanish land grants, San Juan de Carricitos and San Salvador del Tule. The original grantee of the Carricitos grant was Jose Narciso Cavazos. After his death, ownership of the land passed to his heirs. The Tule lands were granted to Juan Jose Balli in 1798.
History
La Piedad Cemetery
This burial ground, which predates McAllen, likely began as a small ranch cemetery in the 1800s. The earliest known burial here, in 1895, is of Gertrudis Cavazos. Most of the property was deeded by the Arnold family; other portions were acquired from the City of McAllen. Those interred here include veterans of military conflicts dating to World War I and veterans of foreign armies.
History
Laguna Seca Ranch
Macedonio Vela settled here in 1867 and soon transformed over 4,000 acres of wild brush land into prosperous Laguna Seca (Dry Lake) Ranch. In 1871, his daughter, Carlota, grew the first orange trees in Hidalgo County from the seeds of a fruit given her by a traveling priest. This is now an important citrus-producing area. The ranch had grown to 80,000 acres when a school was built here in 1892.
Architecture
Lamar Junior High School
The McAllen School Board authorized construction of Lamar High School in 1938, through a bond election and funding from the Public Works Administration. Architect Marion Lee Waller's original design included an L-shaped floor plan only one room deep, with east- and south-facing classrooms opening onto breezeways for maximum circulation in the days before air conditioning.
History
Laurel Hill Cemetery
This burial ground has served the Mission community since 1913, when graves were moved here from the first city cemetery because of unsuitable land conditions. Those buried here include John J. Conway (d. 1931), city of Mission founder; Dr. Cleo Dawson (d. 1991), author and television personality; and Floyd H. "Slats" Rodgers (d. 1956), noted aviator and stuntman.
History
Leo Najo
(February 17, 1899 - April 25, 1978) Leonardo Alaniz, better known as Leo Najo, was one of the first Mexican-Americans to play professional baseball in the United States. Born in the Mexican community of La Lajilla, Nuevo Leon, he moved to Mission with his mother, Rosario Alanis, in 1909.
History
Los Ebanos Ferry Crossing
Apparently this is an ancient ford. First recorded usage was by Spanish explorers and colonists under Jose de Escandon in 1740s on the Rio Grande. A salt trail led from here to El Sal del Rey (40 miles northeast).
History
Los Ejidos De Reynosa Vieja
In 1749, Col. Jose de Escandon founded Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Reynosa. Surveyors marked off over 10,000 acres for Los Ejidos, the town commons, for settlers to farm and ranch. The remaining land bordered each side of the Rio Grande and each of the 80 porciones (allotments) had river access.
History
Louisiana-Rio Grande Canal Company
Wisconsin native John Closner established the first steam-powered irrigation system in the lower Rio Grande Valley in 1895. Closner successfully grew sugar cane and entered a sample for judging at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.
Architecture
M. & J. Nelson Building
This noteworthy Moderne style commercial building remains a distinctive McAllen attraction. Morris Randall Nelson built and owned the building, designed in 1949 for the use of the J.C. Penney Company. Nelson, born in McPherson, Kansas, followed his father's profession as a carpenter before becoming a builder, property developer and entrepreneur.
Civic & Local
McAllen Lodge No. 1110, A.F. & A.M.
This lodge, organized by Master Mason R. M. Bounds and about 30 other Masons, was chartered on December 8, 1915. Meetings were held in the Joseph and Osborne buildings, two early downtown commercial structures, prior to the lodge erecting a temple at this site in 1927. Noted early teachers Isadore Moritz and Hugh R.
Architecture
McAllen Post Office
Built in 1935, this was the sixth location of the McAllen Post Office after its creation in 1907. The facility was dedicated on January 22, 1936, and served as a postal facility until 1957. Since 1958, the building has been used for a variety of purposes, including Federal and city office space.
History
McAllen Ranch
The McAllen Ranch has historic ties to Spanish Texas, when this region was part of Nuevo Santander, a colonial area founded by José de Escand'n along the lower Rio Grande. In 1790, José Manuel G'mez of Reynosa and Moncolova received the vast (95,000 acres) Santa Anita land grant.
Architecture
Mercedes City Hall
Constructed in 1928 to house the town's municipal offices and fire station, this building was designed by architect R. Newell waters of Weslaco. The two story Gothic style building, constructed of red brick, features a copper cupola designed to house the fire alarm, cast stone detailing, and a gabled roof. The second floor served as a town meeting room and firemen's dormitory.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
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