Edinburg celebrates 100 years

EDINBURG - Standing in front of a giant cake covered with photos of historical Edinburg, State Rep. Aaron Peña, D - Edinburg, beams as he describes his city's history.

For Peña, the story of Edinburg is tied to his family's own history. His great-grandfather Jose Roman Alamia was among the gun-toting men who helped make Edinburg what it is today.

"We all laugh about the questionable nature of politics from that era - there's still questionable politics today," said Peña.

Monday night, hundreds of the city's residents descended on the city's municipal park to celebrate the city's centennial, or more accurately, the date 100 years ago that local political bosses moved the county seat from the city of Hidalgo to Edinburg in the middle of the night.

Though free hot dogs, cake and ice cream drew the crowds, there was little mention of the complicated tale of the city's history that, by most accounts, is one of the strangest in the region.

Edinburg was founded around the turn of the 20th century and was originally named Chapin, after Dennis Chapin, an early promoter of the city.

After Chapin became involved in a homicide, the city was re-named Edinburg in 1911, in honor of the Scottish city where early leader John Young was born.

But the most colorful part of the city's history is how it became the county seat. Though various versions of the legend exist, it's established that town leaders moved county records from then-seat Hidalgo to Edinburg in the middle of the night, following a questionable election on the matter.

The next morning the men assembled a tent on top of a wooden floor, establishing the first county seat. The following month, county commissioners held their first meeting in the city. The rest is history.

"Still to the present time the rumor persists that the action was illegal..." writes author Ruth Griffin Spence in her history of the region "Nickel Plated Highway to Hell."

Spence writes there may have been some legitimate reasons for the move, such as Hidalgo's frequent flooding and geographic isolation.

But a more likely reason is that early leaders like John Closner, W.F. Sprague and Chapin had recently purchased 50,000 acres of land in Edinburg.

Last month, Peña retold the controversial history on his blog, where he posted photos of his great-grandfather, who was also the county's first tax collector.

"I was afraid the history would be missed," said Peña, an amateur historian. "We have these celebrations all the time, but this is a historic event."

Five years ago, Peña even introduced a bill into the state legislature commemorating the leaders' late night move.

Today, 100 years later, Edinburg residents say they take pride in their city.

"McAllen is big, but Edinburg is beautiful," said Zorina Arenas, 38, who attended Monday's celebration.

Amanda Gonzalez, 31, said she has lived here all her life, and she is proud to raise her children here too.

"We love our city," Gonzalez said. "It's growing."

Today, Peña still gets a thrill out of studying the history of the region. And he's not quite ready to condemn his ancestor's role in the anything-goes days of South Texas.

"It was a different time," Peña said. "He wasn't a scoundrel. But he hung out with them."

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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.