Stockholm

Stockholm was on Farm Road 491 four miles southeast of Delta Lake in east Hidalgo County. It was settled by Swedish immigrants from several states and Canada about 1912. The rich dark sandy loam with clay subsoil was well suited for farming. The land was flat, free of stones, and covered with a growth of mesquite and brush. By 1913 the community had a two-room school, a general store, a church, and a cemetery. The church building served both the Mission Friend and Lutheran congregations. The Swedish Methodist Church was organized in 1915 and operated until 1926, when it was consolidated with the North Methodist Church of Lyford, in nearby Willacy County. In the early days of Stockholm fear of raids by Francisco (Pancho) Villa required that settlers take refuge at night in a grain silo; some lost their crops and livestock to Villa's bandits. Floods in the early years forced settlers to drive their cattle and horses to the highest land for safety. No roads were passable, so the settlers got around in boats until the floodwaters subsided. In the mid-1930s the town had a school, a church, and a cotton gin. From 1945 through 1960 the population stayed steady at twenty, and one business was in operation. Afterward the number of area residents grew to fifty and was holding steady through 2000, when no businesses remained.