Talk:Crystal City, Texas

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	Crystal City, Texas falls under the scope of WikiProject Mexican-Americans, an effort to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Mexican-Americans on the Wikipedia. This includes but is not limited to Mexican-Americans as well as those not so affiliated, country and region-specific topics, and anything else related to Mexican-Americans. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
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I think Wikipedia should also include the politics that occured in Crystal City, Tx. Back in the late 60's and early 70's. Much to be learned about this little town in southwest Texas. Another interesting topic would be the internment camp established in Crystal City during WWII. "i think that it should say more about the people of Crystal City and about its cultural History". (unsigned)

[edit] Additional information about Crystal City Internment Camp

I was very surprised that the previous edit read thusly:

"During World War II, Crystal City was home to an alien internment camp housing mainly Japanese aliens and their families as well as some Italians and other so called "enemy aliens." See World War II Internment Camps History Entry."

I think the previous author(s) misunderstood the difference between the widescale Japanese American internment under Executive Order 9066, particularly on the West Coast, and the people who were interned in "selective internment" camps such as Crystal City. Most of the internees were relocated there under the Alien Enemy Act of 1798. It is wildly inappropriate to summarize that it was "mainly Japanese aliens...as well as some Italians". I'm not sure why the previous writer decided to edit out the German Americans and German "enemy aliens" interned here and at similar "selective internment" camps. As far as those interned "selectively", slightly more of them were German "enemy aliens" or of German ethnicity, than were Japanese. See the FBI pdf documents - http://foia.fbi.gov/custodet/custod1a.pdf

The issue seems to be over reliance on the Handbook of Texas online - another encyclopedia! Getting primary and multiple secondary sources is best. It is embarrassing to see Wikipedia articles that are insufficiently sourced and spreading the same ignorance and misinformation.

67.10.133.121 22:12, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NEED FOR BALANCED ACCOUNT OF GENERAL CRYSTAL CITY HISTORY

These kinds of topics are always prickly, but in the interest of genuine history, the current entry on Crystal City seems to focus on the Mexican-American political turbulence at the expense of the entire history of the city starting from it's beginning. There's no need to deny anyones history -- in fact, inclusion is what is necessary in a dynamic town like Crystal City. I am a descendant of one of the original Crystal City founding Bookout family branches and while there is no dispute about what eventually happened in later years, there is no mention of how the city came into existance. Several of the founding settlers built FROM SCRATCH dams and major irrigation earthworks from the Nueces River (with their own hands and determination) in order to plant the first crops -- mainly spinach -- as well as engineering and constructing the cannery (later sold to Del Monte) that was the epicenter of the local economy which helped turn Crystal City into a place where employment was possible at all for the later immigrants (Mexian, Mexican-American, or otherwise). The railroad coming to Crystal City was a turning point in it's history which enabled the economy to grow. There were other founding families that set up the first cotton gins as well as local merchants that sold goods on main street -- and they have stories and histories as well.

The fact is, I have in my hands a book with a very concise and official history of Crystal City and it's origins and development and while the ethnic strife is a later and undisputed facet of the city, it is but one of several interesting facets of the town. It's time to move on, and stop grasping for political or cultural supremacy on both sides and come to grips with the reality of a truthful and balanced history of a very tiny but interesting town called Crystal City.

The language used such as "revolts" is as divisive, bombastic and unnecessary as stating that over the years the poverty and crime rates soared with the new population (which they did). Besides, there where people on BOTH sides of the ethnic divide that fought for and supported equality and justice which isn't clear in the original entry. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.11.14.15 (talk) 01:30, 2 June 2008 (UTC)