Pleasant Valley Farmers' Alliance No. 1
N 31° 08.002 W 098° 17.670
14R E 567258 N 3444596
This marker tells of the formation of a farmers' union that also influenced a political party in the 1890s.
Waymark Code: WMPMQK
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/22/2015
Views: 5
It appears that Texas farmers were feeling the effects of the northern carpetbaggers on the cost of farming by the 1890's and were willing to band together to form a union to protect prices and rid the middlemen from gouging the consumers while paying farmers pennies. This was the first farmers' union formed in Texas. The union became large enough to influence political parties, and they even created the Populist Party as an outcome of the influence the Alliance was having. It was short lived, however.
Additional references:
Guide to Farmers' Alliance: (
visit link)
Facebook view of the marker at sunset: (
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Marker Number: 4055
Marker Text:
First chapter of the Farmers' Alliance in Texas. Founded 1877, it became one of the strongest arms of the national agrarian reform movement of the era. The group was begun by John R. Allen on Donaldson Creek (1 mi. S) in a "rawhide" (rough) lumber school. Its main purpose was to improve ruinous farm living and economic conditions. Missing livestock were traced by 2 secret officers known as "Grand Smokies." In 1887 the 3,000 sub-alliances merged with the "Farmers' Union", then helped spark the Populist Party drive of the 1890's; but by 1900 they had died out.
(1969)
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