Marker Inscription
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. The Louisiana-Rio Grande Canal Company installed additional equipment in 1911-12 to increase production to the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo area. Sold to the Hidalgo County Water Improvement District in 1920, the pump plant continued in operation until 1983, when an all-electric plant opened downstream. (1991)
About this site
Hidalgo Irrigation Pump Plant is a historical marker in Hidalgo, Hidalgo County, dedicated in 1991. It is one of 138 historical markers documented in Hidalgo County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 236 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 26.0990, -98.2615 near Hidalgo. The nearest cataloged historic site is Hidalgo County Courthouse (1886) (courthouse), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Hidalgo Post Office, Former, Old Hidalgo School, and Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5215002471. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
