The city of Mercedes was founded September 15, 1907 by the American
Rio Grande Land & Irrigation Company, and was incorporated March 8, 1909. The
city was located in Capisallo Pasture, part of Capisallo Ranch owned by Jim
Welles. This location was known as the Pear Orchard owing to the vast numbers
of prickly pear cactus growing there at that time. The original name given to
the city was Diaz in honor of Porfirio Diaz, then president of Mexico. Later
it was renamed Mercedes Diaz in honor of the president's wife and from that,
Mercedes became the Queen City. General Zachary Taylor's headquarters was just
to the south east of Mercedes near the river. There the old Rabb Ranch was famous
for it's stage coach stop and riverboat landing for the riverboats that plied
up and down the Rio Grande River carrying supplies to the settlements and military
installations. The old Toluca Ranch still stands just east of the International
Bridge at Progreso, our sister city to the south. This Ranch was just a stones
throw from the river and a prized target for the banditos during the days of
Poncho Villa. It was built with many secret rooms and passages and heavy wooden
shutters on the windows to protect its residents.
Current Population: 15,000
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