Mrazek Grubbing Plow

Mrazek Grubbing Plow. . This is the last remaining section of the Mrazek Grubbing Plow which carved a rich agricultural kingdom out of the wild bushlands along the Texas Gulf Coast. When farmers arrived in the early 20th century, they faced major land-clearing barriers because conventional plows could not remove the roots of running mesquite and other dense vegetation that blanketed the region., Tom Mrazek and sons went to work in their Robstown blacksmith shop to develop a plow for their land and other farmers. They crafted the entire plow, including the heavy bolts. Giant steam tractors pulled the largest of these plows in the scorching South Texas sun. It is doubtful that the rich farmland of Nueces and surrounding counties would have been placed into cultivation in the early 1900s without this plow. The first small plow was later expanded into a multi-gang plow., Agriculture quickly became the economic and social backbone of the entire Gulf Coast Region., The Mrazeks manufactured up to 300 plows before they stopped in 1917. The shortage of steel during World War I and the entrance of national manufacturing companies, forced the Mrazeks to turn to other blacksmith projects. The plows also were used to clear heavy brush for roads, including the first direct land connection between Robstown and Corpus Christi., Descendants of Tom Mrazek and sons continue to live throughout the Coastal Bend and the contributions of the family through the plow are widely acclaimed., Details on the Mrazeks and their agricultural marvel can be seen at the Robstown area museum, 201 East Main Avenue, Robstown., -Sam Fore Keach , July 2015