2. El Chamal

While in San Luis Potosí, Mr. Blalock met a man who had enjoyed several hunts on an hacienda called El Chamal and suggested that it might suit the needs of Blalock's group. Immediately, Mr. Blalock traveled to Tampico and arranged a meeting with agents of the Banco Hipotecario of Mexico City that owned the hacienda. He and an agent of the bank spent five days visiting the property. This visit convinced Mr. Blalock that El Chamal was the land he wanted to buy for the venture.

The Hacienda

Since a land deal can be lost very quickly, Mr. Blalock knew it was best to strike while the iron was hot. Therefore, he wasted no time in securing this most promising land for the colony. Mr. Blalock sought to purchase the 167,000-acre tract of land with improvements known as Hacienda El Chamal.[1]

Mr. Blalock was now working on behalf of a colony with fifty-three families eager to find suitable land upon which to relocate. Mr. Blalock wrote to Mr. Joe L. Sweet, reporting on the land deal and providing information about El Chamal. This letter was published in the Mangum Star on October 9, 1902. The following contains the contents of the letter:

Tampico, Mexico, Oct. 2nd 1902
Joe Sweet, Mangum

Dear Sir: I have just drawn a sight draft on First National Bank for six thousand dollars. I preferred giving check but was doing the business with a bank and they had another purchaser who they could stand off two or three days only, hence could not wait for the thing to go by mail. Now Joe, if for any reason the money should not be in bank and the draft not paid you go at once, make the arrangement and have the bank wire amount to the Mexican Trust Co., bank Tampico. I make this request not knowing just what may have occurred since hearing from you.

As stated before we doubtless have a good thing, even should we never live upon the land, yet we can and will make an ideal home on it.