Robstown's Vegetable Growing and Railroad Shipping History

Robstown's Vegetable Growing and Railroad Shipping History. . , In 1876, the Corpus Christi, San Diego and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Railroad began construction from Corpus Christi to Laredo. It was sold and renamed the Texas Mexican railway (The Tex Mex) in 1881. In the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway began construction south from the Tex Mex tracks to Brownsville, and by 1907, it connected to Houston. This created a railroad junction here which offered new economic opportunities for the region. Farmers and homesteaders were lured to this area to grow cotton, leading Robstown to incorporate in 1912. , Due to fertile land and mild winters, some farmers began to grow cabbage, spinach, radishes, onions and other vegetables and a new industry began. The first vegetable shipment by rail reportedly occurred in 1920. In 1926, W.A. Richardson (1899-1963), a former wholesale vegetable buyer shipped 90 iced railcars of spinach. Seeing potential for this to be a larger vegetable producing area, in 1928, he partnered with fellow new yorker James G. McCarrick (1896-1953), whose family had years of experience marketing vegetables in the Northeast. Together they formed the James G. McCarrick Company, located on the south side of the tracks at the south end of 5th Street. The partners contracted with local farmers to produce vegetables, and the McCarrick company became one of the largest shippers in the United States. By 1932, ten shipping companies were in operation in Robstown. In the 1943-1944 season, 2,282 iced refrigerated railcars of vegetables were shipped. Total shipments by truck are unknown. After World War II, the industry began its decline as farmers turned to grain sorghum and cotton because of better prices. By 1950, the industry continued downward due to drought and market conditions. In 1957, only 25 railcars of sacked onions were shipped by one shipper, and by 1960, this once-vibrant local industry had ended.