Donna, Hidalgo County
This area in the mid-1800s was part of the Asadores Ranch owned by Salvador and San Juana Cavazos. In 1898, east Texas rice farmers A.F. Hester, Sr. and T.J. Hooks bought land in the vicinity. They and others began La Blanca Agricultural Company and the Arroyo Canal Company to build an irrigation system. They also helped usher the railroad into the area. Ed and George Ruthven moved to the area by 1904. Ed established a store and was postmaster for the community of Run (a contraction of his surname), and George built irrigation pumps. Andrew Champion also owned a general store. A school opened in 1905, but many area residents began moving to Donna following a devastating flood four years later. (2006)