The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 42, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 19, 1994 Page: 1 of 30
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Mercedes Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.
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The Mercec
Enterprise
Mercedes, TX Wed., Octoberl9,1994
Two new members named to HA board;
0 A
A
To commemorate one-time recreaction haven of Rio Ric
BY FRAN ISBELL
mixed drinks were still illegal in Texas. Entertainment
The bizarre history of Rio Rico will be memorialized remained an important industry in the Mexican border
Wiene
BRIDGE TO RIO RICO, just days before the structure was washed away by floods.
district rival, 20-14, improving its league mark
to 2-0. This week, Brownsville Lopez visits
for a Parents’ Night game. (Enterprise Photo.)
STRATEGY SESSION — Tigers huddle dur-
ing a second-half timeout during Friday’s
game with Edcouch-Elsa. The team beat their
ing Authority Board, while last week
saw the charging of the agency’s
former director with “theft by a public
Approximately 200 people became US citizens by vir-
tue of their birth in the banco. 200,000 applied, and kept
US government attorneys busy for three years.
Modern Rio Rico is a rural community of about 400
people.
A nominating committee will be
elected to recommend officers for the
coming year. Also, the need for projects
to raise money for food and expenses
will be discussed.
All churches are encouraged to
have their pastors and representatives
in attendance.
Anyone interested in the work of
the food pantry is invited.
servant.”
Appointed to the board by Mayor
Miguel Castillo, Jr. were Janet Wood
Yanez and Pete Guajardo. The two
replace board members removed last
since Rene and Linda Guzman took the band
directors’ posts. Judges commented favorably
on both the musical performance of the proud
musicians shown above and drill design, which is
the work of Mrs. Guzman. (Enterprise Photo.)
Bond was set at $ 10,000, which the
man posted after being transported to
; Edinburg.
The charge stems from an audit of
agency rent receipts conducted imme-
diately after HUD removed the two
former commissioners and the former
director for what officials said was
“abuse of travel” and other misman-
agement.
Just over $1400 was found missing
from HA coffers.
Investigator Vasquez says the
charge is a second degree felony, pun-
ishable by two to 20 years in prison .
and fine of up to $10,000. “It is en-
hanced one degree from normal,” the
officer says, “when a public official is
involved.”
He says the investigation into the
missing money is continuing and that
while an additional arrest is possible,
“it’s not likely to come real soon.”
In related news, next Tuesday is
the deadline for four former board
members and the former director to
provide receipts and justification for
substantial sums of money used dur-
ing past travel, reports present Execu-
tive Director Ruben Villarreal. The
original IG audit called for the repay-
ment of money—mostly issued as per
diem — if the expenses could not be
justified.
on Sunday, October 23, when the Hidalgo County
Historical Commission dedicates a historical marker for
the one-time Texas town. The ceremony will take place
at 3 p.m. on US 281 at Rio Rico Road, 2.4 miles east of
Progreso. The public is invited.
The story began in 1906, when American Rio Grande
Land and Irrigation Company engineers dug a channel
to prevent the Rio Grande from bypassing their Mercedes
pumping plant. In the process, they isolated 419 acres of
Texas on the Mexican side of the river, in an area known
as El Horcon (Sp. crutch) Banco.
After payment of damages, the matter dropped from
public attention, and people living in the illegal Ameri-
can cutoff were gradually assimilated, paying Mexican
taxes, voting in Mexican elections, and serving in the
Mexican Army. Southward movement of the river over
the years pushed the Mexican village of Rio Rico into
the American banco.
During Prohibition, Mexico had a strong attraction
for US visitors. The B&P Bridge Company, which had
bridges at Hidalgo and Roma, decided to build a bridge
halfway between Hidalgo and Brownsville. They se-
lected a site just east of the Mercedes pumping station.
B&P Bridge Company constructed a two lane sus-
pension bridge with 300 foot span, 600 feet overall. It
opened with great fanfare on September 1, 1928. No
tolls were collected that day and rumor said that $ 100,000
in contraband crossed over.
The tiny community of Rio Rico opposite the
Mercedes pumps became a recreation spot for Valleyites.
They enjoyed the dance hall, restaurants, cantinas, and
other amusements. Hunting and fishing were excellent.
A Chicago syndicate built a 20-acre dog track,
which regularly entertained as many as 1,000 visitors at
a time. The syndicate had plans to develop a resort, with
bull ring, clubhouse and golf course, but the Depression
curtailed their grandiose scheme.
It was locally understood that Chicago gangster Al
Capone was behind the dog racing. There were allega-
tions that narcotics were smuggled across the border
hidden in blankets put on the dogs after completion of a
race. Al Capone was a regular visitor to the Valley in
1929 and 1930, according to some local residents.
Capone came incognito, and people pretended not to
recognize him.
The 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933 and the
comparable Texas law in 1935, but gambling and sale of
In 1971, Homero Cantu, a factory mechanic in
Brownsville who had been bom in Rio Rico, asked
Edinburg attorney Laurier McDonald to represent him
in claiming US citizenship. Soon other native Rio Ricans
applied, beginning an eight-year battle in the courts.
month by the Department of Housing
and Urban Development.
Re-appointed to his seat on the
board was Heriberto Martinez.
On Friday, former executive direc-
tor Jaime Gutierrez turned himself in
to police for arraignment before Mu-
nicipal Judge Juan Gonzalez on the
charge of theft by a public servant,
reports Police Investigator Jaime
Vasquez
town. Joe’s Place, a restaurant, provided dancing, shows,
and fish and game diners. Chaco’s Cantina was another
watering place.
The Tivoli Nightclub was the largest cabaret on the
border. Rio Rico remained popular for dining and danc-
ing throughout the 1930’s and for servicemen from
Harlingen gunnery base in the 1940’s.
After heavy rains caused extensive flooding in Sep-
tember 1941, a broken levee stranded Rio Rico resi-
dents. Surging water eroded the concrete piers of the
bridge, and the Mexican bank gave way on October 27,
1941. According to eyewitness Roy Davis of Weslaco,
the bridge “started chunking off in pieces.”
A pontoon bridge was constructed of Army surplus
materials in March, 1948. The pontoons didn’t work
very well, and when a flash flood raised the river eight
to 10 feet, trees floating in midstream took the bridge
out. The bridge company paid rewards to Mexican
farmers who brought pontoons back in oxcarts. The
pontoon bridge washed out in October, 1948 and was
reopened in November.
After a year and a half, when the pontoon bridge
washed out for the last time, the bridge company oper-
ated hand-drawn passenger ferries.
The bridge company then built a new bridge five
miles upriver at Progreso on property leased for 99 years
from Toluca Ranch. Financed by private subscription
mostly from Mercedes and Weslaco, it opened on No-
vember 11, 1953. Many Rio Rico businesses moved
with the bridge to form the new community of Nuevo
Progreso.
The American cutoff was forgotten for over 60
years. It was rediscovered by Dr. James E. Hill, Jr., a
professor of geography at Arizona State University,
who notified the Hidalgo County tax assessor in 1967.
By the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the main channel
of the Rio Grande was the international boundary. But
an 1884 Treaty provided that a change in the channel by
other than natural means would not change the bound-
ary. Thus Rio Rico and El Horcon were still U.S. i
territory.
By the Treaty of 1970 between US and Mexico, El
Horcon and Rio Rico became'Mexican territory and
some lands upriver between Hidalgo-Reynosa and
Anz aldu as became US territory. Actual ownership passed
from one country to another in 1977, when some 2340
acres were adjudicated.
former director arraigned on theft charge
Two new members were appointed
Tuesday night to the Mercedes Hous-
First half of the game was a show- plagued by penalties, a problem all
case for the Tiger offense, which took season long that continued to haunt
the team.
They’ 11 hope to cut those down this
Friday, when Brownsville Lopez vis-
its for Parents’ Night.
“They’re young kids, but they’ve
Vol. 82 No. 42 Price 25c
Cash prize of $25 up for grabs
We’ve heard right answers and we’ve heard wrong newspaper that shows the forecasters, and must include
answers — but no one’s turned anything in on paper your name, address and phone number, as well as your
yet. guess.
Which is strange, because there’s a $25 prize and All entries must be received in The Enterprise office
all the glory one can handle up from grabs. (230 S. Texas, P.O. Box 657) by 10 a.m., next Monday,
It’s the annual “Guess the Masked Marvel” contest October 24. Correct entries will be put in a box and the
and here are the rules once more: winner selected by random drawing.
Entries must be submitted on the portion of the One last clue: Sometimes the Marvel wears black...
BAND ’SUPERIOR’ AT PIGSKIN — Mercedes High
a 200 score into the locker room the team School’s Mighty Tiger Marching Band received
a 20-0 score into the locker room the team, . straight I’s, a "Superior’’ rating, at Saturday’s
After the Tiger defense stopped They 11 hope to cut those down this Pigskin Jubilee Marching Contest in Edcouch-
Edcouch’s first drive in four plays, Friday, when Brownsville Lopez vis- Elsa. It marks the third straight year for first
Mercedes’ first play from scrimmage its for Parents’ Night. division honors, and the 13th time in 18 years
was a pass off an end around, from “They’re young kids, but they’ve e a .
Gabby Trevino to Frank Salinas, that got some good talent," says Coach Food pantry board conducts quarterly meeting Sunday
went for a 51-yard TD and almost Casas. Lopez beat Valley Christian The Board of Directors of
noticeably took the wind from E-E earlier in the season, he points out, BasketsFull Food Pantry will conduct
sails early. “and we’re taking nothing for granted.” a quarterly meeting this Sunday, Oc-
Later in the half Isaac Mireles Gametime is 7:30 p.m. at Tiger tober23, at 2:30 p.m. at the BasketsFull
hauled in a short pass from Roslan Stadium, building, spokesmen report.
Tigers improve to 2-0
• in district with 20-14
defeat of Yellowjackets
In the immortal words of Jackie Hassan and jaunted with that ball for
Gleason, “How sweet it is.” 48 yards and a TD, and Jaime Tovar
Mercedes Tigers decisively (leading rusher with 14 carries for 71
showed that the aura of invincibility yards) added another score on a seven-
surrounding Edcouch-Elsa is nothing yardrun. Randall Smith added 36 yards
a more than that, a cloud of steam, as on nine carries.
they defeated the northern neighbors In the second half, the story line
20-14 last Friday. changed, with the defense spending
.. lots of time trying to staunch wounds
Every year, the game with E-E is leftby offensive turnovers. Opponents
a big game, and when wewin, it's a big scored twice - both times off turn-
win, says Tiger Head Coach Leonel. .
A con ,, overs — but were stopped in their
Casas. There s no doubt about that. tracks on a last-minute drive (that be-
“But all we are now is 2-0 in dis- gan with a Tiger fumble) when defen-
trict and there are more games to be sive line pressure forced a bad pass
played,” he continues, “so we need to and linebacker Nick Cadena batted it
• get back to work and continue to im- to the ground.
prove. Besides the turnovers, Tigers were
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 42, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 19, 1994, newspaper, October 19, 1994; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1618521/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.