MVFD Brief History of Mico and dam construction

Medina Lake was constructed between 1911-1912 as
an irrigation reservoir by the Medina Irrigation
Company in what became Mico, Texas. An extensive
canal system delivers water to 34,000 acres of
blackland prairie farmlands below the Balcones
escarpment around Castroville. At the time it was
constructed, it was the biggest irrigation project west
of the Mississippi. At spillway capacity, Medina
Lake covers about 5,575 acres, has a length of 18
miles, a maximum width of three miles, and 110 miles
of shoreline. In addition to the main dam, there is a
smaller dam about four miles downstream that
creates Diversion Lake, from which discharges are
made to the canal system.

In 1910, world famous engineer Dr. Fred Stark Pearson persuaded British investors to
finance construction of the Medina dam and canal system. A crew of 1,500 men
worked around the clock to mix 292,000 cubic yards of concrete and form it into a
waterproof wall 164 feet high, 128 feet wide at the base, 25 feet wide at the top, and
1,580 feet long. Laborers received $2 a day, which were good wages for those days.
Most were Mexican nationals who had prior experience building hydroelectric dams
with Pearson in Mexico, and most of them brought their families. At least 70 people
were killed by accidents and disease during the year of construction.

MICO, TEXAS. Mico is a fishing resort on Farm Road 271 just east of the main dam
at Medina Lake in northeastern Medina County. The name Mico comes from the
acronym for the Medina Irrigation Company. The community's post office was
established as Mico in 1911, changed its name to Medina Lake in 1916, and was
renamed Mico in 1923. It closed permanently in 1967, and local mail was routed
through Castroville. Mico was a terminus for freight shipped on the Southern Pacific
to Dunlay for the construction of Medina Dam in 1912. An elementary school was
established in 1922 or 1923 as the Mico and Cliff District. It was consolidated with the
Castroville School District. In 1931 Mico had an estimated ten businesses and a
population of 200, and in 1965 it had four businesses and a population of 350. By 1975
its population was ninety-eight, and the town reported only one business. Mico in 1987
comprised numerous dwellings by Medina Lake on Farm Road 271 near its
intersection with Farm Road 1283. In late 1989 local general stores, boat marinas,
and pool halls continued to cater to lake enthusiasts, and in 2000 the community's
population was still estimated at ninety-eight.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Castro Colonies Heritage Association, The History of Medina
County, Texas (Dallas: National Share Graphics, 1983). John J. Germann and Myron
Janzen, Texas Post Offices by County (1986).