Completion of El Fuste Under Mercedes Canal 1907-07-12

The American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company completed two inverted siphon tubes under El Fuste arroyo on Sunday February 25 105. The tubes are 600 feet long and 7 feet 9 inches in diameter with a carrying capacity of 120000 gallons per minute each. They are made of reinforced concrete and were built to carry irrigation water from the canal under the bed of the arroyo. The project was planned by Chester B. Davis and supervised by Edward H. Forney. The work was completed ahead of schedule despite threatening rain. The remaining two tubes are still under construction but irrigation of the companys land does not depend on their completion.

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Residents Want New Bridge Across El Fuste 1914-05-27

A petition is being circulated among the citizens of Mercedes asking for a change in the location and size of the proposed new bridge across El Fuste. El Fuste is a resaca which is a natural drainage for overflow waters from Lake Llano Grande. However due to recent drainage work El Fuste now carries more water. Additionally recent rains have caused water to rise to the timbers of the bridge. It is feared that additional overflow will carry the bridge away cutting off wagon traffic between people living on the other side. County commissioners have promised to provide an adequate bridge now that they have been alerted to the situation.

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Work Commenced on New Bridge 1914-07-01

El Fuste to be spanned by a new structure as a result of citizen request. El Fuste is the drainway for overflow waters from Llano Grande Lake into the Arroyo Colorado. The bridge will be 160 feet long x 20 feet wide and constructed of cresoted lumber on piling. The cost is projected to be $2000. The Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company will pay all the cos1914ts.

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Group Petitions for New City of El Fuste 1960-06-30

A judge has signed an order to hold an election to determine whether to incorporate the City of El Fuste and the election date has been set. A large portion of the proposed town is located in the area that the Mercedes City Council previously proposed to annex. Legal experts have not yet determined which action will take precedence. It is generally understood that the petitioners made their move to avoid annexation.

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Proposed Map for New City of El Fuste 1960-06-30

Property owners living in the El Fuste area bordering Mercedes proposed to incorporate as a separate city named El Fuste. This map shows the borders for the proposed city. The proposal was superseced by the City of Mercedes prior request to annex the area.

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Judge Cancels El Fuste Incorporation Petition 1960-07-07

Judge Milton Richardson has canceled the election to determine whether to allow the town of El Fuste to incorporate. A group of residents had asked for the election to prevent the city of Mercedes from annexing the area. The judge ruled that the City of Mercedes had prior jurisdiction over the area as it had duly passed a resolution on June 18 to annex and had mailed notices to property owners on June 25. Texas law rules that when two munipalities are in dispute over an area the municipality which first took action has jurisdiction.

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El Fuste Area Assigned for City Cleanup 1967-03-09

Assigments for organization scheduled to lead designated areas of Mercedes in the Aprial Cleanup Campaign were announced. The Lions Club has been assigned to cleanup the El Fuste area.

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El Fuste Syphon Repair 1968-05-16

The International Boundary and Water Commission has awarded a $70000 contract to repair a portion of the El Fuste Syphon that was washed out by Hurricane Buelah.

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El Fuste House of the Month 1980-10-29

Yard of the Month selected for Octover by the Mercedes Chamber of Commerce is the yard of Mr. and Mrs. Robert sierra on El Fueste Road just north of the waterfalls... Area judged this month was bounded on the west by the main canal on the south by Business 83 on the east by Rio RIco Road and on the south by the floodway levee.

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El Fuste Still There But Faded From Local Memory Today 2023-10-10

The El Fuste Structure remains intact today, located in the area now known as the Mercedes Waterfall. However, the name 'Fuste' has faded from both the local lexicon and newspapers, and the surrounding area is no longer referred to as Fuste—it has essentially been lost to time. The following Google Maps image shows what seem to be the four pipes that make up the El Fuste Syphon. These four pipes are located on the left side of the image, with Baseline Road to the north and the Mercedes Waterfalls visible on the right.

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