HISTORY OF THE TEXAS HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT ... - CTR Library

watermelon tree." A "watermelon tree" was a place where a person
could pull off the road, get in the shade and cut a watermelon.
It is nice to think that those watermelon trees might be the first
roadside parks. A roadside park was constructed on U.S. 281 Spur
at the two canals 1.5 miles east of Hidalgo in the late 1930's.
In 1935, the Highway Commission authorized funds to complete the
NRWR projects that were started for relief to the unemployed
because that labor was no longer available. This must have been
when the "give away" programs started.
In 1935, Project NRS 785 was approved for concrete paving on U.S.
281 from Progreso southeast to a junction with an asphalt-paved
road 4.5 miles south of Mercedes. The project was completed in
1936. The asphalt road mentioned above began at Mercedes and ran
south to the old Military Highway at the end of NRS 785 to the
Cameron County line. This section of road from the end of NRS
785 to the Cameron County line was built by Hidalgo County in
1928 and taken over for maintenance in 1936. There was an
asphalt-paved road or spur off U.S. 281 leading to the
International Bridge to Rio Rico, Mexico. This International
Bridge was washed out during the Rio Grande flood of 1941.
In 1935, additional land was purchased adjacent to and back of the
District Headquarters layout for the Hidalgo County Maintenance
Section. The maintenance section located at McAllen was moved to
Pharr.
About this time the Highway Department developed a nursery at
District Headquarters for propagating their own plants for
highway beautification. Mr. J. E. Pitman was employed as
District Landscape Supervisor.
There was a flood on the Rio Grande in late 1935 that washed out
the earth embankment on the approach to the International Bridge
between the river levee at Hidalgo and the bridge. This approach
had just been taken over for maintenance by the Highway
Department and the washout was repaired by a special maintenance
job by the State. It was taken on the system for maintenance in
early 1936. All county roads crossing the floodway were closed
by the Rio Grande floodwaters from the 1935 flood.
A policy was adopted by the State Highway Department in 1936 to
furnish and maintain a 4" x 4" post for rural mailboxes and to
gravel a turnout from the pavement to the box for the convenience
of the rural mail carrier. This was a very popular procedure.
In connection with the Texas Centennial Exposition, the Highway
Department erected a granite monument for each county in the
State with bronze inscription plates giving a brief history of
the county. The monument for Hidalgo County was placed 1% miles
north of the Courthouse Square on U.S. 281, but later was moved
to the new Courthouse Square.
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