In 1907, John J. Conway and James W. Hoit began the Mission Canal Co. Irrigation System, which was instrumental in the early agricultural growth of the area. Here they built the first pump station out of handmade brick from Madero. The 106-foot chimney carried smoke from wood-fired boilers that produced steam to drive the pump. The plant was later operated by John H. Shary and by Hidalgo County Water Control and Improvement Districts No. 7 and No. 14. The property was developed for recreational use after a new pumping plant was built upstream in the late 1950s.