George Blalock in his office in 1901

In 1902, Mr. Blalock lost reelection as sheriff to his friend J.B. Overton by 215 votes. At forty-six years of age, he was a partner in the Greer County Abstract, Real Estate and Insurance Company.[7] He owned a residence worth $1000 and 166 acres of land in the county,[8] but he wasn't ready to retire. He was still looking for ways to improve his lot in life. He yearned for acres of good cheap land.

Many events transpired since he first had the idea to find enough suitable agricultural land in Mexico on which to settle an American colony. His idea had not been outrageous but perfectly plausible. The Mexican Government had been selling vast tracts of its undeveloped land to foreign investors, offering generous concessions, and fostering a productive business environment for foreigners. Mexico had been marketed as a land of unlimited resources, a place to fulfill the “American dream” on foreign soil.

Suitable grazing and productive agricultural land in Greer County was quickly disappearing or was priced above the reach of farmers of average means. Yet, the pioneer spirit was strong, and there were those who still hoped to lay claim to an ample portion of fertile land upon which they could build their future. Mr. Blalock was one of these people. He valued productive land and sought real estate opportunities. Acting on his dream, he began actively promoting a scheme to purchase land and settle in Mexico.

Opportunities in a Foreign Land

Many single nationality colonies of foreigners were already established in Mexico. There were American, British, German, French, Italian, Japanese and others. The foreigners who came to Mexico capitalized on opportunities to prosper and to form agricultural, industrial or mining companies and/or communities using the peon [9] laborers as their workforce. As fortunes were made on these ventures, excitement about investment and life in Mexico spread.