The Ditch
Uvalde, Uvalde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Community established along waterway of Leona Irrigation and Agricultural Association, formed in 1874 by Greenville and W. B. Bowles, A. B. Dillard, Charles T. Rose, A. J. Spencer, and T. E. Taylor. Irrigation produced rich crops; many families settled here. A schoolhouse doubled as church and community center. Settlers gathered in from a large area for dances, weddings and other festivities-- often prolonged. In 1894 flood ruined the farms, and people moved away-- many to Uvalde, to become substantial citizens there. Only a cemetery remains (1 mi. W) of "Ditch" settlement. 1970
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Nicknamed "The Ditch," this community grew up along the canal of the Leona Irrigation and Agricultural Association, formed in 1874 to water the dry Uvalde County land. Irrigation brought rich crops and drew many families, whose schoolhouse doubled as church and dance hall for celebrations that often ran late. A flood in 1894 ruined the farms and scattered the settlers—many to Uvalde—leaving only a cemetery to mark where the town stood.
Why it matters
It is a vivid parable of the arid West, where the fortunes of a whole community rose and fell with the water in a single irrigation ditch.
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Related people
- · W. B. Bowles
- · A. B. Dillard
- · Charles T. Rose
- · A. J. Spencer
- · T. E. Taylor
Themes & tags
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