Rail construction beginning in 1876 and later expansions that connected this area to Brownsville and Houston created a junction that opened new economic opportunities for the region. Farmers and homesteaders first came to grow cotton, and Robstown incorporated in 1912. Fertile land and mild winters then encouraged some farmers to raise cabbage, spinach, radishes, onions, and other vegetables, launching a new industry. The first vegetable shipment by rail reportedly occurred in 1920. In 1926, former wholesale vegetable buyer W.A. Richardson shipped 90 iced railcars of spinach, and in 1928 he joined James G. McCarrick to form the James G. McCarrick Company on the south side of the tracks at the south end of 5th Street. Working through contracts with local farmers, the company became one of the largest shippers in the United States, and by 1932 ten shipping companies operated in Robstown. During the 1943-1944 season, 2,282 iced refrigerated railcars of vegetables were shipped. After World War II, the industry declined as farmers turned to grain sorghum and cotton for better prices, and by 1960 the local vegetable-shipping industry had ended.