Fike Family Farm: A Porción of Edinburg Discovering the Rio Grande Valley Reports from the Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program Report # 1 The Norquest Family: A Porción of Edinburg Report # 2 The Cantu Family: A Porción of Edinburg Report # 3 Atwood Acres: A Porción of Edinburg Report # 4 The Eubanks Family: A Porción of Edinburg Report # 5 Bair Farms: A Porción of Edinburg Report # 6 The Rogiers Family: A Porción of Edinburg Report # 7 Fike Family Farm: A Porción of Edinburg Report # 8 Luna Family Legacy: A Porción of Edinburg For more information on the CHAPS Program, visit us at www.utrgv.edu/chaps Fike Family Farm: A Porción of Edinburg A report prepared for: The Fike Family And for UTRGV and the CHAPS Program class titled: Discovering the Rio Grande Valley: The Natural and Cultural History of South Texas Written by (in alphabetical order): Eric Acosta, Jackqueline Alejos, Criselda Avalos, Evan Berg, Priscilla Cardenas, Mayela Cavazos, Gabriela Chapa, Benito Contreras, Alvino Flores, Lizette Garcia, Mark Garcia, Ulysses Garcia, Jacob Garza, Ana Hernandez, David Hernandez, Jordon Kennedy-Reyes, Laura Leal, Stephanie Montalvo, Jose Montoya, Roxanne Recinos, Lesley Robles, Cynthia Sanchez, Yazmin Soto, Jessica Tanguma, Emanuel Torres, Osiel Uribe, Israel Vasquez, and April Wilson Principal Investigators from the CHAPS Program: Juan L. Gonzalez, Kenneth R. Summy, Russell K. Skowronek, and Roseann Bacha-Garza Published by CHAPS Program at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX 2018 Copyright © 2018 by UTRGV’s Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program (CHAPS) All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal. First Printing: 2018 ISBN-13: 978-0-9982070-6-3 UTRGV’s Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program 1201 West University Drive Edinburg, TX 78539 www.utrgv.edu/chaps Dedication This report is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Kenneth “Rod” Summy, Professor of Biology (retired) at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and founding member of the CHAPS Program. Rod had been an active participant in our annual CHAPS class titled “Discovering the Rio Grande Valley.” He participated as the professor of Biology for the Natural History portion of the class and worked directly with our students in the field, examined any/all biological (plant, animal, and insect) life on the family farms that we have researched in Edinburg, TX. We have fond memories of Dr. Summy as an integral part of our program. We could not have accomplished so much without him. A Letter to My Family December 2017 Open letter to my sons, my grandsons, granddaughter and the great grandsons and great granddaughter: To my sons: You all have exceeded my dreams for your life. God has blessed you and me. Michael, you were and are my firstborn. I loved you from the first moment Dr. Hamme laid you in my arms. That love only grew stronger as the years went by. I am proud that you followed in your father’s love of farming. You have a wonderful wife, Karen, who was the answer to my prayers for you. You and Karen gave me a granddaughter. I remember the day she was born. Your dad and I were at the “Brush” and I had just laid down in a hammock to take a nap and you came to me and told me we had a girl. Joy, joy, joy in my heart! My Rachel. Later came Daniel and Joshua. My cup truly runneth over! George, my son, who made me wait and wait for you to be born. The wait was worth it, you were precious from the very beginning, and you, too, have the love of farming in your heart. Your wife, Wendy, has been the helpmate you needed. Then came my grandsons, Adam and Mathew. Again, God blessed us and gave great joy in our hearts! Harry, my son, who has preceded us into Heaven, and who told me “Mom, don’t weep for me, I have the victory, either way. God will heal me or take me home.” He had stayed farming also. He went to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus on June 19, 2003. Sam, a.k.a. Frank Samuel Fike, my little surprise, not in my plans, but God knew best. Another little farmer! Alleluia! You have supported me in my aging years. So, my sons, I love you all best and words cannot express my unfailing love for all of you and I thank God for all of you. I have never been disappointed by any of you. To my grandsons. If you read the words I wrote to your fathers, take them to your hearts, store them safely and remember that your grandmother loved each and every one of you beyond belief. To my granddaughter Rachel. You cannot know how very, very proud you have made me. How can I count the blessings you have given me, your husband, D.J. Villareal, whom I love, and who calls me “Grandma”, too. In love, you are serving your country as a lieutenant, your obtaining a master’s degree, working at the college as a professor, etc., but you, too came back to the farm to live; building a lovely home right across the road from me. Then we must tell about your two boys, Warren and Woodrow, my great grandsons. The coming generation who appear to be heading for greener fields. To my grandsons, Adam, Daniel, Joshua, and Mathew who are continuing to farm with their fathers, (except Adam, who is farming but chose to farm in McCook). You all are my favorite grandson, and I love each and every one of you. Need I say how very proud of all of you who have chosen to stay in farming although the challenges are growing day by day! Lastly you all have chosen wives who support you and who have given you and me the great grandchildren listed below. Great grandsons and great granddaughters: Woodrow & Warren, Betsyanna & Beverlybelle, Hannis & Harper, and Teddy & Cooper, YOU, my little ones, are the future of Fike Farms. Hopefully some of you (if not all) will carry forward the standards we have honored and obeyed. Love your Lord and Savior, love your neighbors, love each other, uphold the faith we are giving you. Love is forever. Grandma Annie Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... ii Foreword ................................................................................................................................. iii Preface ...................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures and Appecdices........................................................................................... v Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3 Chapter 1: The Journey ........................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2: Family Life………………………………………………………………..21 Chapter 3: Land Acquisition………………………………………………………...29 Chapter 4: Current Family Business………………………………………………..39 Chapter 5: Building the Bond with the Land: Agriculture………………………..45 Chapter 6: Interactions with Nature………………………………………………..57 Chapter 7: The Process………………………………………………………………77 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………..95 Appendices.......................................................................................................................... 106 References ..……………………………………………………………………………………………..204 Scrapbook…………………………………………………………………………………………………208 Acknowledgements We would like to thank Daniel Cardenas, Assistant Art Director for the design of the front cover of this report as well as to Elisa Flores and Dr. Kimberly Selber of the Univeristy of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s The Studio Marketing and Communications Department for their support of all projects developed by the CHAPS team. We would also like to thank all members of the Fike Family who participated in this project. Thanks to Lupe Flores, Shantal Brisette and Rocio Diaz at the Border Studies Archive for their ongoing support and assistance with the oral history interview process for this class. Special thanks to Dr. Frank Dirrigl who assisted our students with the identification of the animal bones that we found out in the field. ii Foreword The Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) program is dedicated to sharing the history of the Rio Grande Valley including the multiple contributions made by the region and its populace over the years. Their publications have provided an overview of the role of the region during the Civil War era as well as a vivid historical accounting of farming families in the region. This current volume focuses on the journey of the two families, the Fike’s and the Rork’s, who came together with the marriage of Willard Fike and Anna Rork in 1951. Both families immigrated to the US in the 1830s, settling in the Valley in the mid-1900s. Exploring the role of farming families in the region is of utmost importance. Not only does this offer intriguing insight into the daily lives of individuals who were instrumental in the growth of Edinburg, it also provides a detailing of how farming has changed over the years. The text describes how advances in areas specific to farming such as transportation, agronomy, and technology have changed the way farming is done today. In addition, we gain an understanding of how nature and man have impacted farming, as contextualized through the lives of the Fike family. There are several aspects of