Rio Grande Valley Oral Histories

Identifier

ELIBR0027

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Download Oral History (897 KB)

Creation Date

5-24-1984

Disciplines

History

Description

Robert Norton interviewed Wayne I. Muir (1920–2000) for the Hidalgo County Historical Commission.   The interview details Muir's family history, their move from Kansas to the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo area in the late 1920s, and the agricultural practices of the era (pp. 2, 4). During the Great Depression, the family, like many others, struggled financially, but survived by farming cotton and vegetables and raising livestock for food (p. 9). The interview covers farming methods using one- or two-horse teams, basic cultivation equipment, and early insecticides like Paris green (pp. 5-6).    World War II brought changes, including a big demand for produce and a floor price for citrus, which benefited the industry (pp. 11, 14). Post-war, farming became more mechanized and scientific, with better tractors, the introduction of rubber tires, and improved chemicals for pest control (pp. 14, 16). Muir contrasts the strenuous labor of early farming with the comfort and efficiency of modern, air-conditioned tractors (p. 16). The interview also touches on local infrastructure development, such as the WPA's work on the irrigation system and the building of three-lane highways promoted by figures like Ty Cobb (pp. 10-11).

Physical Description

PDF, 17 pages, text

Interview with Wayne I. Muir

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History Commons

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Recording Location

 
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