History
The San Benito Land & Water Company was organized in 1907 to develop and irrigate about 45,000 acres of land situated near the Rio Grande River. It consisted of a strip of land fifteen miles long with an average width of five miles. The strip of land ran from the bank of the Rio Grande from what is now Los Indios to the area east of San Benito which include Rio Hondo, Lozano, and Arroyo City. The water is withdrawn from the river by head gates located on the river bank and channeled by gravity with a drop of approximately one foot per mile through an artificial canal which is two and one-half miles long. The canal connects with the Resaca de los Fresnos oxbow lake, an ancient river bed which was cut off from the meandering Rio Grande River. The system also included 66 1/2 miles of lateral and drainage canals to help irrigate the 45,000 acres of farm land. The main canal has 4 main dams with locks to help maintain an adequate level of water to divert water through lateral canals for irrigation. Today, the irrigated acreage has increased and the Head Gates station uses huge pumps to keep up with the greater demand of water by farmers and the City of San Benito.
The President of the San Benito Land & Water Company was Mr. Alba Heywood and the Constructing Engineer,Secretary and Manager was Mr. Samuel A. Robertson. San Benito was the only town which started growing along the resaca because of the availability of fresh water and the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railroad which allow farmer to ship and trade their products. Most of the land was cleared by Mexican workers and sold for $70 to $150 an acre to farmers. The Company also charged irrigation fees for water usage per acre depending on the crop grown. Some of the crops raised on acreage irrigated by the San Benito Resaca include sugar cane,sorghum cane, corn, cotton, alfalfa, citrus fruits and winter vegetables.