Historical MarkerThe American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation System
Mercedes · Hidalgo County · Dedicated 1979 · THC Atlas #5215005285
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
Marker Inscription
Land developer B. F. Yoakum saw agricultural potential along the Rio Grande and found investors in 1905 for an irrigation project. They purchased 250,000 acres and the townsite of Mercedes for business headquarters. The pump station began operating in 1908. The system had grown by 1920 to three large canals, miles of branches, and five pumping plants. In 1930 the Hidalgo and Cameron County Water Control and Improvement District took over the system which continues to serve the farming area of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. (1979)
About this site
The American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation System is a historical marker in Mercedes, Hidalgo County, dedicated in 1979. 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 26.1501, -97.9124 near Mercedes. The nearest cataloged historic site is Hidalgo County Bank and Trust Company (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Mercedes City Hall, Mercedes Enterprise, and Immanuel Lutheran Church.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5215005285. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
