Lombardy Irrigation Ditch
Rio Frio, Real County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Dug in 1868, in pick-and-shovel operation, by Lombardy Irrigation Company, whose officers were N. M. C. Patterson, W. F. Smith, and T. Watkins. Besides channeling water to irrigate over 800 acres, the 2-mile ditch furnished power for a cotton gin and shingle, grist, and flour mills. The settlement which grew up in the area was known as "The Ditch" until a post office was established in 1875. It was then named "Rio Frio" ("Cold River"). For a century the ditch has irrigated lands of families of two original company officers. (1968)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1868, just after the Civil War, the Lombardy Irrigation Company dug a two-mile ditch by pick and shovel to bring water to more than 800 acres of the Frio River valley. Beyond irrigation, the ditch powered a cotton gin and grist, flour, and shingle mills, and the settlement that grew around it was simply called "The Ditch" until a post office gave it the name Rio Frio in 1875. For a century afterward the same channel watered lands held by descendants of its founders.
Why it matters
The ditch shows how modest, locally-financed water engineering made agriculture and industry possible in arid Texas, seeding a permanent community from a single public work.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · N. M. C. Patterson
- · W. F. Smith
- · T. Watkins
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Near Route of Famous Cattle Trail
Leakey, TX
This route was one of many Texas "feeder trails" that funneled longhorn cattle north to join the legendary Chisholm Trail above the Red River, driving thousands of animals to market in the years after the Civil War. The drives lasted months and were full of stampedes and the danger of Indian raids, and local settlers rode along, later spinning their experiences into frontier folklore. At times even herds of hogs were driven forty miles down the trail to market.
Real County Courthouse
Leakey, TX
When Real County was carved from neighboring counties in 1913 and named for rancher and state senator Julius Real, its residents wrangled for years over where to seat the government. Judge D. D. Thompson pushed for a permanent courthouse, and in 1918 architect H. A. Reuter's Classical Revival design rose from native limestone quarried nearby at Tucker Hollow. Its rusticated, fortress-like walls still anchor the square in Leakey.
Dry Frio Canyon
Uvalde, TX
The families of Louis Bohme, Charles Jones, and the Heards came seeking new range land in 1875, giving Dry Frio Canyon its first settlement, post office, and school under the name Heard. In 1885 a well-digger struck mineral water prized for its medicinal qualities, and a promoter soon built a bathhouse and hotel to draw visitors to the springs.
Silver Mine Pass
Concan, TX
This rugged pass takes its name from a silver mine the Spanish are said to have opened in the 1700s; the ore proved poor, but fourteen shafts still honeycomb the hills. In the early 1830s James Bowie—later a hero and casualty of the Alamo—built a fortification nearby, and in 1831 his men fought off a daylong Comanche attack. The fight's celebrated hero was Bowie's enslaved companion, remembered as 'Black Jim Bowie,' who braved the open ground to bring water to the besieged.