Since I posted an item last week locating the old site of Grand Central, I thought I'd show a couple of old farming photos. First, I'll show an aerial from 1932 orienting the south side of town, including Grand Central, the Industries center of farming and ranching operations. This aerial is particularly good because of its elevation. Unfortunately, this is a scan of a print, so the resolution isn't as good as I'd like.
The next photo show cotton pickers working a field. The tree line suggests a body of water in the background. I have no hard evidence for this, but I'll bet they are working a field in what is now the Brookside subdivision.
The next photo shows a mule team pulling a cultivator in another unknown location. Mule power was THE mode of cultivation for Industries farming operations for far longer than you'd expect. Some old timers have told me farmers were working fields with mules into the 1950s. If you ever shop at the Fiesta store in Sugar Creek, note the large photo at the entrance showing the Grand Central mule barn. You'll get an idea of the extensive role mules played in Sugar Land's economic history.
