Welcome to Agua Prieta. The town’s name is not very appetizing. In English, the town’s name is “Brown Water”. According to the postcard’s AZO stamp box, this street scene photo was taken between 1924 and 1949. The photo shows “Avenue 3” in Agua Prieta. Note the signage in the photograph. There is a restaurant, a cafe, and the Silver $ Dollar Bar. Further down the avenue are some old cars. The town is located in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is a border town and is adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona. Agua Prieta was developed at the end of the 19th century as railroads were built between Douglas and the Mexican town of Nacozari. The trains would transport minerals and other goods. The first settlers in Agua Prieta were employed by the US mining company Phelps Dodge Corporation. The company was based in Douglas, Arizona. The town of Agua Prieta was unofficially founded in 1899 but did not become an independent municipality until 1916. This photograph was taken long before the fiasco of the current US immigration policy. Today, Douglas has a population of about 16,500 people. Although the town is depressed, the border crossing remains busy. According to US Customs and Border Protection records for 2016, more than 3.8 million people passed through the town’s port of entry on foot, or by car. It is important to note that many of these people were going between Mexico and the US to visit family, conduct business, or shop. Therefore, their visits were of short duration. I hope that Congress will be able to formulate and pass a more rational, humane, and constructive immigration policy; and do so in a timely fashion. (SOLD)
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 