A right line, due north and south, form the northwest corner to the Rio Grande, separates the county form Hidalgo County on the west.
Population. The population is sparse, being only 15,000, and the settled districts are few and far between. Brownsville, the county seat has 7000; Point Isabel 800; and Santa Maria 300 inhabitants; the balance of the population is scattered along the water-courses in small hamlets or employed as laborers on the large stock ranches and plantations throughout the county.
Climate. The climate is semi-tropical. Summer heat is tempered by cool breezes from the Gulf, which make the nights delightful, and are laden with moisture sufficient to prevent a high range of temperature. The winters are so short and mild that it is almost a misnomer to apply such a term to those seasons. It is an ideal spot in which to enjoy “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and secure the blessings of health, wealth and social distinction.”
Character of Country. The land is nearly all level or has a gentle ascent from the Gulf and the Rio Grande, the altitude at Brownsville being only 43 feet. The soil is rich with the alluvial deposits of centuries and almost unacquainted with the plow. Nature had endowed this land with all things to assist man’s endeavor, but a majority of the present population will never rise to the urgency of her demands; other hands will till the soil and disclose to those “to the manor born” the mine of wealth over which they have heedlessly trod for years. The very gleanings of the field will aggregate more than they ever raised in a year and they will be fortunate to obtain them. They may learn wisdom at the eleventh hour, and it is to be hoped that they will not then find hard taskmasters, but receive every man a penny.
Three Classes of Land. The lands of the county may be roughtly divided into three classes. The first class comprises the land lying between the Rio Grande and the Arroyo Colorado ( Red Creek), having a dark alluvial soil to the depth of five to twenty feet. Fully five hundred square miles of this soil could be irrigated and made one of the most productive areas in the world. The land of the second class extends from the Arroyo Colorado thirty miles northward, and the soil is rich loam and sand; suitable for many valuable crops which would find a ready market and pay a handsome profit. This class of land in the counties to the north and northwest of Cameron County is now producing splendid crops of cotton, sugar –cane, corn, oats and vegetables; two crops of grain can be raised in one year and cotton put on the market form thirty to sixty days earlier than from any other section growing that staple; which means from $5 to $15 a bale more than shipments later in the season.
The lands of the county are roughly divided into three classes. The first class comprises the land lying between the Rio Grande and the Arroyo Colorado and the second class extends from the Arroyo Colorado thirty miles northward. The third class of land, which extends from a line thirty miles north of the Arroyo Colorado to the northern limit of the country, is sandy prairie, covered with rich bunch grass which frequently attains the height of three feet and is green the year round; this grass, with artesian wells to provide against drought, will support an immense number of live stock, and has done so for many years. The mildness of the climate admits of stock running the range in winter without artificial shelter, which is a great saving to the stock-raiser.
Prices of Land. The prices of land now on the market and owned by private parties, range from $1.50 to $3.00 per acre for pasture lands, and from $5 to $10 per acre for the best farming land, with portions under culture, good houses and outbuildings, and in some cases small systems or irrigation in operation. There are also 82,240 acres of county and state school lands, which can be bought for $2 and $3 an acre.
