BIRDS EYE VIEW OF MCALLEN TEX FROM WATER TOWER LOOKING EAST SOUTH AND WEST

Pharr, Tx.: W.W. Murff, 1916. Panoramic photograph, approximately 6 x 43 3/4 inches. Minor surface wear. Very good. Framed. A rare and intriguing panoramic photograph capturing a particularly- wide expanse of the border town of McAllen, Tx. in 1916, during the years of the Texas-Mexico border skirmishes. Several inscriptions in the negative identify the locations of regiments, squadrons, and cavalry units, along with the U.S. Army Hospital. Identified units include Squadron A, the First and Second Field Artillery, and the 69th, 12th, 7th, and 22nd regiments of the First Cavalry. The towns of Pharr and Mission are each identified on the eastern and western extremes of the photograph, and the land to the distant south is identified simply as Mexico. The resolution of the photograph is sharp enough to read the names of several businesses in McAllen, including Frank G. Crow Building Materials, the New Valley Repairing Shop (which apparently specialized in "Vulcanizing Tires"), La Esmerelda Saloon, and Packingham's Garage. The escalating battles between American and Mexican forces throughout the second decade of the 20th century resulted in more than 100,000 troops being stationed along the border, including over 20,000 troops from as far away as New York. Texas border towns like McAllen and El Paso served as important strategic locations for the American Army, which was actively trying to kill or capture Pancho Villa by the time this photograph was taken. Not much is known about the photographer of this panorama, W.W. Murff. His name appears on just one photograph at the Library of Congress, a slightly-earlier panoramic photograph of the students at the College of Industrial Arts (now Texas Women's University) in Denton, Tx. in 1910. Murff inscribed his location in that photograph as Fort Worth; he was perhaps a journeyman photographer. This bird's-eye view of McAllen is instructive not only for American military historians, but also for scholars of the development of the Texas-Mexico border over the last century. A rare view, with no copies listed in OCLC. (Inventory #: WRCAM54328)