Valley Morning Star from Harlingen, Texas • Page 12

December 5, 1956 VALLEY HARLmOF-V. TEXAS Rio Rico Once Valley's Oasis Bv A. B. HENDRY Money from the boom days of In the booming when the American business spilled over Valiev's oricinai boosters the land' freely into Rio Rico and many the little town's were talof the poten- making money hand over fist, as Salitiel had sold the area Sort. 'they worked as bartenders, wait- thev decided that Mexico cooks, shine boys and roung as well go along for demand, build a bridge at Rio Rico, south quarrel By Day of Mercedes, which would serve As the town rolled in prosper- two purposes.

ity, quarrels developed among First, it would give Mexican families that had been friends and workers entry to the rich agri- neighbors for years. Theie were cultural of the mid Valley ishootings almost daily, but the Also it would give thirsty farmers fighting quieted down at night, for and their friends, to say the tourists would take fright of the winter crop of visiting stay away. One entire family men. an oasis in which to wet was wiped out in the feuding and their collective whistle whenever numerous families suffered losses they wanted something more 0f several members, potent than raspberry soda. After a couple of years the main Business Boomed street of Rio Rico, leading off the On this basis of reciprocity then3rj(jget was graveled, but the rest business boomed from theLj streets were unpaved, caus- beginning and so did Rio Ricu.j ing cars to get stuck in Joe Ortega and his Rio Rico whenever it rained, friends and relatives foresaw freqUently did in those days, the bridge was going to boom thn: whenever such misadventures town and when it was officially occurred, the victims, if they were opened in the spring of 1928, trr Drainage Plan Io Be Outlined Your Siars Today Queen Rides Bicvele To Save Gasoline 4 fSOESTDIJK, Holland, Dec.

4 Moderation the center where- face realities and take on extia Queen Juliana rode to in all philosophies, both human responsibilities if you expect to on a bicycle Sunday to and divine, meet. make progress. save gasoline. Ha 1 In the next few years you have The ban on Sunday driving iJaiiy buioe It is time loi re- a chance to build reputation ordered to conserve fuel as a reposed $14,864,000 master drainage i retrencnmg and get- through ingenuity, to travel or suit of the Middle East oil short- plan (or Hidalgo county will 8 'Wly royiU outlined by U. Reclamation bu-jand action at the weekend, but nwmh preparc serious work.j juliana rode bl.

reau officials for the Hidalgo hope for some support con'j discipline and concentration of! cycle, making the 15-minute trip EDINBURG, Dec. 4 A pro- Countv commissioners, mayors'scrvative Mars, which ually stirs things up, is now leav- and city managers and water dis- ing the sifm Pisces where it has special and is entcr- sioners courtroom here Thursday, The Anans can expect stepped- up activity in their affairs for the energies. Watch out for subconscious emotional confusion. to the reformed church at nearby Baarn with a lady-in-waiting. XMAS D.

Richardson late last week and so the wiU be volcing he lepoited them available opinions, getting around study at today court meeting. more an(1 may RCt difficultios A letter ftoni Harry P. Bur- they talk or write too much, leigh, chief of the Austin officeiThose born March 21, Dec. the Butcau of Reclamation in- 22, or September 23 need to use he has sent copies of the moderation plan out for review bv all con CASH JOE GARKETT JOE KIDD jcorned, including the State Board of Water Engineers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The suggested plan will be submitted gjffift OLD LANDMARK Workmen are tearing down the old customs and immigration building which did a tremendous business while the old Rio Rico bridge was in business. The bridge was washed away in the great flood of Oct. 19, 1941 and Rio Rico has not been the same ever since. Above, Reynaldo Garcia, 10, points out to his friend, Armando Solis, 14, the piled-up ruins of the old building, now in course of Happy Birthday, Sigittarius! Some of the recent delays or difficulties should be over this month so you can get going with ambitious plans at once. You have prob- I FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING being torn down.

(Star Photo) steady customers of the Rio I AUTO FURNITURE PERSONAL LOANS $25.00 to $2500.00 citizens of Rio put on a bar emporiums, had drinks on the gun jnto the air to add to the din. eral friends, beeue to which all Americanos house untn such time as the mud were invited. dried out, or a couple of burros Among the first to cross after the cars out of the mud, the bridge opened was Clyde made Rio cry of the A few minutes late bulldozers and other technological the report with Burleigh present, Gyde Williams, whose home was they started back to the Texas agricultural machinery and to invite in the about 100 feet east of the bridge side and as they reached the mid- the area is one of the said the noise was "awful" on die the cables started snapping in cotton nrnrhirtion in nil ui niffhts. HeL. 11 thoroughly reviTO-ed, the next step to congress for authorization at ably realized that you have to I the next session, Burleigh wrote.

------He said he has asked for the Air ForCG Decides comments of the State Board of o- Water Engineers as soon as NOT vrambling Isible, and hopes all concerned will! WASHINGTON (UP) The Air study the commentary and maps p'orcf ruled that the playing 'thoroughly. bingo for prizes and cash at i The Hidalgo County commission-; installations is not gambling. ers said they would like to review becathe game HOME OWNED AND OPERATED CONSUMER FINANCE is form of social entertainment I COMPANY, and recreation. Furthermore, it will allow cash prizes to be given in bingo games as long as they BORROW WITH CONFIDENCE FROM HARLINGEN'S ONLY Williams, engineer of the Instead of Saturday and Sunday nights, Hr two, popping and whirling about Mexico. But the memories of will seeif not exceed $300 plant of the Mercedes Water a If the rain con-1said every one would men-s heads ylke grcat bull many often go back to the boom An election would be neces- ing days when the bridge brought sary to place the entire county in Come back, come their riches to their little town and or.

the County Drainage district. VlllllllllV IHjglVlIV r- 1 in Mexico shouted after a little stone to one side of the; women Glyco. liams had been ao interested ob-jBWe difference. If the rains con- variably awakening him with bridge is giving out main street, near where the1 Royal Mint pro- server during construction. tinued into the next day, some clatter.

At one point he you w-jj used to stand, is the date vided seven new the Kirst be your I The barbecue was a great sue- good hcartcd amig0 would takejthe verge of moving, but his wife and Mishler Oct. 19. 1941, the date of the big'shillings for placement' under pfvpttffliunl cess both for the the mud bound visitors across dissuaded him and faster and just as they stopped on flood which ended Rio Rico's era masts of three new sailing ships aSLT -THYMOLI Texas soil the entire bridge plenty out and was swept away. The cafe ind others w'ho had a trip me vauoy was no, h. ca ,0 boom Anx-rican, walked back to i u.

heir places, where thev saw the continued without interruption. 1 'handwriting of ruin on the walls. Rio Rico today is a pleasant little agricultural village, with their hosts, with most of the mix- the bridge in little carts drawm by he became so accustomed to the ed drink business going to noise he slept right on through, place, which became famous over-; Closed at Midnight I Even when prohibition ended in proprietors night for the potency of its whisky! The little town was much like 1933, a trip to the Valley was notjrW3 oI1 sours. Rio Rico became a magnet the border towns vou see in the for tourists and Valley residents jmovies, with shooting by day, alike and soon other cafes bv night. Usually the, opened.

Several had dance co spas ci0sed at midnight now some of homes had m- with bands playing for the dancers incj the clatter of the loose boards plumbing and, wonder of on Saturday and Sunday nights, which formed the flooring of the: wonders, running making great farms and ranches Others staged floor shows, with bridge rattled like successive trips river ing it Juan Demtez brought in talent from Mexico City making claps of thunder as the happy bucketfuls of water a thing of the pounds from Reynosa and Americans sped across the struc- past. Fm Matamoros. ture, now and then firing a six-1 But Rio house of cards TTOTTIC one stormy night when the Rio Grande, on one of CORPORATION COURT mightiest rampages, roared down Samuel Lespedes, speeding $18; out of the west. The bridge, Rio Jeanette Goldsmith, speeding and only connection with the no license. 520; Leoncio land of plenty across the no license, 510; Al-j groaned as its cables were pulled frPdo Trevino, speeding, $7: Jean- taut by the rising waters.

nine Wheaton, speeding, $13; Lu- First and Last cille Goolsby, speeding, $20; Ro- Williams, one of the first to gerio Martinez, negligent collision cross the structure, now failure to yield right-of-way, he would be the last to cross it $10; Adolfo Garza, running a stop also. With Fred Mishler, superin- sign and defective brakes, $10; Ed- tendent of the Willacy county ward Ewing, speeding and unne- pumping plant at his side, Wil- cessary noise. $25; Kenneth Krapf, liams ran across the bridge to Rio speeding, $10, and Jose Robles, no Rico and shook hands with sev- license, $10. tradition. TKIATMINT FOI OfKIV EVENINGS BY 117 W.

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