King Cotton Rules the Day During Texas Tropical Trail Visit

Tour of La Feria Includes Visit to Co-op Gin

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015, the Texas Tropical Trail Region held its 115th monthly Partner Event with La Feria being the honored South Texas town. It was an all-day event beginning with an orientation meeting at 9:30 at the La Feria Fire Station. Executive Director of the TTTR, Nancy Deviney outlined the day’s scheduled activities.

The whirlwind tour then progressed to the La Feria Co-op cotton gin where the guests received a guided tour of the historic landmark by general manager, Ed Landry. The visitors then proceeded to the La Feria Cultural Arts Center (formerly the old Rialto Theater at 122 Oleander Avenue) City of La Feria staff members explained the exhibits and their historic significance.

After a noon pause to enjoy the menu of Mexican specialties being served at the popular downtown Don Beto’s restaurant, the crowd of some 50 persons regrouped for an afternoon of lectures by noted speakers on how “King Cotton” was pivotal in the victory of the Union forces over the Confederacy in the final days of the American Civil War and the development of the Rio Grande Valley.

First on the afternoon program was author Karen Ford. She reviewed her recently released book entitled: “Bale O’ Cotton.” Her Book Review was an in-depth, unique blend of fact and folklore about the fascinating history of cotton ginning and how this valuable commodity changed the course of history. Her talk set the scene for the education program that followed:

Doug Murphy is the Chief of Operations and Historian at the Palo Alto Battlefield National Park near Brownsville. “This battle is famous as the last land battle of the Civil War,” he said. “Neither side knew that the war was winding down because of slow communications, and, as some think, the Confederates were holding on to a safe place for Jefferson Davis and others to flee to–however, he got captured by Union forces, and that valiant effort was in vain.”

Norman Rozeff, noted Rio Grande Valley historian and author, next enlightened the audience about that tragic last land battle. He lamented that the famous Last Battle of the Civil War–Palmito Ranch was unnecessary and a true tragedy for the soldiers involved on both sides. “It was never clear for sure if the sides knew of the assassination in Ford’s Theater of President Abraham Lincoln and that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered his once grand, but now decimated army to General Grant at Appomatox court house in Virginia–some think they did. In any case, there were 111 federal casualties and other untold hundreds were killed in the ranks of Confederate soldiers and sympathetic Mexican and French volunteers on the side of the South. “Tragically, that war took those lives all because of two hard-headed commanders on both sides,” Rozeff added.

The educational program concluded with a lecture by Christopher Miller, history professor at UTRGV in Edinburg. Miller highlighted the little known history of a the role of a little town south of the Rio Grande called “Bagdad.” It was built to maintain the cotton trade during the war. “This neutral shipping port,” he said, “served the cotton needs of both sides during the war and the increasing demand for cotton from European countries.”

Director Nancy Deviney concluded the event with thanks to the City of La Feria and the Chamber of Commerce for working closely with the Texas Tropical Trail people for the success of the visit. She announced that June would see them in McAllen for their story.