On March 14, 1940, at the crossing of Tower Road and the Missouri Pacific rail line, an oncoming train collided with a truck carrying more than 40 agricultural workers in an automobile accident that resulted in the most fatalities on a Texas highway in the 20th century. Thirty-four of the workers, who ranged in age from ten to 48, were killed. The neighboring citrus packing plant served as headquarters for rescue operations. The tragedy affected many lives in the Alamo community and across the Rio Grande Valley, resulting in renewed attention to safety issues surrounding railroad crossings and the transportation of agricultural workers.