Chihuahua

Chihuahua was six miles west of Mission in Hidalgo County. It was the name given to a 20,000-acre ranch by its owner, Ramon Vela, who moved his family to the site from Laguna Seca Ranch, twenty miles northeast. In 1910 Vela built a two-story colonial home, housing and store facilities for his employees, and a school which he supported. The Sam Fordyce branch of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway passed the settlement, and a stop at that location was named Chihuahua. Chihuahua reached its height during the first three decades of the 1900s. Upon the death of Vela in 1926 his heirs pursued other interests, and the old homestead and property were sold in the late 1940s. The house was razed, and no trace remains of the stately home or the village. As of 1990 a few cattle pens have been constructed on the village site. The railroad still passes by but has no stop or siding facilities.