Pharr, Texas, Hidalgo County. (original) (raw)
History in a Pecan Shell
Originally a Spanish land grant made in 1767, heirs broke the grant into smaller tracts in the late 1800s. John Connely Kelley and Henry N. Pharr arrived about 1909 and bought 16,000 acres of land. Pharr, a Louisiana sugarcane grower founded the Louisiana and Rio Grande Canal Company to construct an irrigation system for a sugar plantation. Kelley formed the Pharr Townsite Company, naming the new town after his partner.
Pharr became a stop on the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway around 1911. Four thousand acres had already been sold to settlers and the town had a depot, hotel and bank. The Rio Grande valley sugarcane industry went bust - dashing Pharr's hopes. Kelley assumed control of the existing irrigation system and supplied water to vegetable and cotton farmers. In 1915 the population was a mere 600.
In 1916 the town incorporated and it had its own newspaper three years later. That same year Pharr and two other small communities formed the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD.
By 1920 Pharr had grown to 1 nearly 1,560 and eleven years later it had doubled. The population was 4,784 in 1940. In 1956 a vote to merge with neighboring McAllen was soundly defeated. By 1960 the population had reached 14,000 and by 1990 it was nearly 33,000.
Pharr, Texas Attractions:
- Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge - 956-784-7500
Abundant wildlife, plants, and birds (many not found anywhere else in the United States.) Entrance quarter mile east of the intersection of US 281 and FM 907. 4 miles East of the Pharr/Reynosa International Bridge. - Smitty's Juke Box Museum - 956-787-0131
116 West State. - Ye Old Clock Museum - 956-787-1923
East Preston Ave.
Pharr Texas Bank and Post Office (and cigar store)
1918-1920 photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com
More Texas Depots
Downtown Pharr
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
Pharr post office
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
See Texas Post Office
Pharr Tourist Information
Pharr Chamber of Commerce - 956-787-1481
308 W. Park. Hours Mon.- Fri. 8:30AM - 5 PMBook Hotels Here › Pharr Hotels
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