Pharr Went from a Sugarcane Townsite to an International Bridge

Pharr began with a partnership. John C. Kelly founded the town in 1909 and named it for Henry Newton Pharr, his partner and a Louisiana sugarcane grower. Kelly formed the Pharr Townsite Company in 1911 and laid out the town that carried Pharr's name.

Water and rail gave the town its early work. Irrigation from the Rio Grande and the arrival of the railroad helped make Pharr an agricultural center in the early 1900s. The town incorporated in 1916, then adopted a home-rule charter in 1949.

The Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge marks the city's newer role. It connects Pharr with Mexico and carries international trade as well as cultural exchange.

The route through Pharr's history runs from irrigated fields to railroad cars to bridge traffic, with movement shaping each version of the town.