Mico, Texas
Encyclopedia
Mico, founded in 1911, is an unincorporated community
in northeastern Medina County, Texas
, United States
, approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) west of San Antonio
. The community is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Its zip code is 78056.
The Medina Irrigation
Company (MICO) originally built much of the community as a workers camp, to house the approximately 1500 Mexican laborers (and their families) who constructed Medina Dam
. It was the fourth largest dam in the United States at its completion in 1913. The dam has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The dam created Lake Medina, a reservoir to supply water for irrigation of an estimated 60000 acres (242.8 km²). The company was founded by Dr. Frederick Stark Pearson
, an engineer and developer who designed the dam and raised private project funding, chiefly by the sale of subscriptions to British investors. The outbreak of World War I
cut off the flow of capital for sale of farmland dependent on the project. Pearson's company went into receivership in 1914 and was sold finally at public auction in 1924. Today the dam and lake are operated by a local water authority.
The town was first named MICO, spelled in caps after the company's acronym.
Today Mico has three bars, one bed and breakfast, and a post office. It also operates a volunteer fire department.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in northeastern Medina County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) west of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. The community is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Its zip code is 78056.
The Medina Irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
Company (MICO) originally built much of the community as a workers camp, to house the approximately 1500 Mexican laborers (and their families) who constructed Medina Dam
Medina Dam
The Medina Dam is a hollow-masonry type dam built in 1911 and 1912 by the Medina Irrigation Company in what became Mico, Texas. Medina Lake extends north of it in northeastern Medina County, Texas. The dam and irrigation project was designed and financed by Dr. Frederick Stark Pearson, an American...
. It was the fourth largest dam in the United States at its completion in 1913. The dam has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The dam created Lake Medina, a reservoir to supply water for irrigation of an estimated 60000 acres (242.8 km²). The company was founded by Dr. Frederick Stark Pearson
Frederick Stark Pearson
Frederick Stark Pearson was an American electrical engineer and entrepreneur.-Biography:Dr. Frederick Stark Pearson was the son of Ambrose and Hannah Pearson. He graduated from Tufts University in 1883 with an A.M.B. and received an A.M.M. degree one year later...
, an engineer and developer who designed the dam and raised private project funding, chiefly by the sale of subscriptions to British investors. The outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
cut off the flow of capital for sale of farmland dependent on the project. Pearson's company went into receivership in 1914 and was sold finally at public auction in 1924. Today the dam and lake are operated by a local water authority.
The town was first named MICO, spelled in caps after the company's acronym.
Today Mico has three bars, one bed and breakfast, and a post office. It also operates a volunteer fire department.
Further reading
- Castro Colonies Heritage Association, The History of Medina County, Texas, Dallas, TX: National Share Graphics, 1983.
- Cyril Matthew Kuehne, S.M., Ripples from Medina Lake, San Antonio, TX: Naylor, 1966.