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Shipping
cabbage
Photo courtesy Library of Congress |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Alamo's initial development occurred between 1902 and 1909 when partners
Peter Blalock and George Hawkins bought 32,000 acres. The future town
was platted in 1908 and the railroad depot was initially named Ebenezer
(Blalock's middle name). Before Ebenezer had a chance to grow, the
partners sold out to the Alamo Land and Sugar Company (1909). At this
point one might think that the name of the town was changed to Alamo,
but the community (now called Camp Ebenezer) was moved above the flood
plain of the Rio Grande. The Alamo Townsite Company was formed to
sell lots. When a post office opened in 1909, the name submitted was
Forum, but it was later changed to C. Swallow, Texas, after townsite
officer C. H. Swallow. The town was incorporated in the mid-1920s
although the population was only 200 for the 1925 census. By 1936
the town had grown to over a thousand residents.
Like many of it's neighbors in the Rio Grande Valley, Alamo was a
shipping point for citrus crops and vegetables.
From a 1940 population of less than 2,000, it has increased over the
years to the current 14,760.
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