Mcallen Daily Monitor

Highway Beautification Work In Hidalgo County

By MRS. T. C. GILL County Chairman

Keen interest and a wonderful spirit of co-operation is being shown, especially by the women of Hidalgo county, who are assisting with the program of highway beautification and roadside improvement that is being inaugurated in Texas.

As chairman of Hidalgo county I will outline our accomplishments and plans for the future. Each county has its own individual problem, its advantages and disadvantages. A method that proves a success in our locality might be a failure and entirely foreign to other parts of the state.

I have lived in the Valley twenty five years and have watched it develop from a wilderness of cacti and mesquite, with a few scattering settlements, to a highly cultivated garden spot, with hustling modern cities. This march of progress has taken toll of many lovely trees and unusual beauty in spots, and we are now realizing the destruction caused by thoughtlessness in years past.

One of the first to protest against needless destruction of native trees and shrubs was Miss Julia Montgomery, and her "Rose Cup Drive" for beautification during the past years has done much toward creating interest in preserving native beauty.

I appreciate the interest of the various organizations in their efforts of beautification and took advantage of this when I appointed my chairmen.

County Committee

After conferring with civic leaders in each community I appointed the following personnel for the county committee:

Vice-chairman, Mrs. Wista Hornburg, Edinburg; chairman of rural roads, Mrs. O. E. Van Berg, Mercedes; chairman of historical places, Mrs. Charles Cawthorn, McAllen;

Chairman of wayside parks, Mrs. U. J. Boehnke, San Juan; recording secretary, Mrs. Ynema Mullholland, Mission; publicity secretary, Miss Ruth Clark, McAllen.

Local chairmen are: Mrs. Carl Roetelle, Mission; Mrs. McKee Caton, McAllen; Mrs. D. C. Hogan, Pharr; Mrs. J. E. Wilkins, San Juan; Mrs. F. J. Dentzer, Alamo; Miss Lillian Vertrees, Donna; Mrs. Porter Doss, Weslaco; Mrs. H. E. Sugg, Mercedes; Mrs. H. O. Schalaben, Edinburg; Miss Ella Piepper, Edcouch; Mrs. A. Carlson, Elsa; Mrs. Joe Pate, McAllen.

Mrs. L. J. Jamerson of Alamo and Mrs. O. W. Robinson of McAllen Bluebonnet club also are workers.

Each local chairman appoints her own committees and works out her own problems, keeping our six objectives in mind. In June a countywide meeting was held in Mission, territory was allotted each city and plans made to work for the following objectives.

1. Protest the burning and destruction of trees along the roadside.

2. Beautify the entrances to the cities.

3. See owners and encourage them to clean up property on highway.

4. Ask the co-operation of all service stations and tourist courts in cleaning up and beautifying.

5. Endeavor to have athol or some attractive hedge planted to screen unsightly spots.

6. Give publicity to some special attraction in each community.

Club Chairmen

I have received much help and co-operation from our County Demonstration Agent, Miss Mattie Wilroy. I spent two days at the encampment giving this work publicity. Realizing the value and benefit of the yard demonstrators, as well as individual members, I have asked that each home demonstration club name a chairman to work on this project, and have received the following names. Additional chairmen will be reported as their names are received.

La Joya, Mrs. H. S. Edwards; Ceniza, Mrs. T. H. Harrell; North Mission, Mrs. J. L. Ostoff; Sharyland, Mrs. Roy Alexander, Hort Hammond, Mrs. G. R. Carpenter; Home Makers, North Pharr, Mrs. N. F. Heinke; North Alamo, Mrs. Lester James; San Carlos, Mrs. Pete Kieffer; Widawake, Mrs. S. Machen; Home Workers, Miss E. Leidner; Just We Neighbors, Mrs. Lee Kidder; Alternate Wednesday, Mrs. LeRoy Ziegler; Lone Star, Mrs. J. P. DeWald; Campacus, Mrs. Ben Drew; Southern Star, Mrs. Cecil Gallion; Llano Grande, Mrs. D. S. Carson; Worth While, Mrs. H. C. Card.

These will attend the county-wide meetings and extend the work in their communities. Plans are being made whereby each club will have a definite territory in which to work.

During the summer months we were busy getting our organization perfected and giving this publicity, and we will now be fully prepared when the actual planting season arrives.

'No Man's Land'

J. W. Puckett, highway engineer of division twenty one deserves a great deal of credit for the improved appearance of our highways. Through an agreement with the Missouri Pacific Lines he has been able to level off that unsightly stretch of "no man's land' between the tracks and the State highway, preparing these rights of way for the planting of trees and shrubs this fall. This planting, on the north side of the highway, (except within the city limits) is entirely up to his judgment and under his direction and supervision. He stresses the preservation of native trees and shrubs in all of his plans and states he will also plant various flowering shrubs so there will be something in bloom every month of the year.

Already a great improvement is seen along our highways. Our steady insistence that owners clean up adjoining property and beautify it, coupled with this wonderful change in the appearance of the right of way has given the people a vision of what a beautiful highway we can have, and every day people can be seen trimming their palms and working in their groves and yards.

The main highway is the Valley's show-window. From the hills of Starr County to the Gulf at Port Isabel we have a wonderful opportunity to present our wares to tourists and our nature lovers.

The successful merchant realizes the importance of an attractive window display. We are beginning to realize the importance of our groves, our palms, flowering trees, tropical shrubs cacti and many unusual things nature has blessed us with. When are we, as Valley merchants going to really wake up? We should wash our windows (trim our palms and trees) dust out the cobwebs, (destroy the weeds) put up new decorations, (improve our city entrances, and plant tropical shrubs) and make our stock in trade, (groves and vegetable acres) attractive for the passerby.

Valley's Show-Windows

We have been too long in the back room, playing checkers with each other.

Our competitors, across the nation, (California and Florida) found out years ago that they had to make the best of what they had to make a sale. They freshened up their windows and offer "specials" in the way of winter resorts. We are beginning to realize that if we stay in business we must take more interest in our stock and take advantage of our natural resources that far overshadow theirs. It just takes a little more energy than playing checkers. Why not have a new game of swapping ideas for our "window display" and get up a little friendly rivalry between the Valley towns, along these lines?

We have sent out advertisements to the "trade" asking them to come and see our wares. We have our Valley Mid-Winter Fair, at Harlingen, our Texas Citrus Fiesta at Mission, inaugurating the 90 day citrus show in the Valley; the Weslaco Birthday Celebration, all in December, and of course our Centennial in 1936. Is it not about time we began to think of the displays in our "show-window?"

The women cannot do all the beautifying. They will do their part. Co-operate and give them a hand when they ask for help. We are all working for a "Valley Beautiful."