1940 to 1944

In January of 1940 the water problem turns into a critical situation. On the 8th, a letter from the lawyer of Nogales, Arizona is received, informing that the Council of Nogales agreed that "in the future, there will be no more water sold to the Cia Proveedora de Agua de Nogales, S. A., until the city of Nogales, Sonora, pays the amount owed to them" The amount owed is $5,000 dlls.

On the 10th, a Council meeting takes place with the principal businessmen of Nogales. In it, it is agreeded that the Ayuntamiento pay the amount. This was the problem will be solved, at least for the moment.

In August, the Ayuntamiento is asked for help in the building of the new airport of Nogales by the Piloto Alberto Calzadias B, located in Lomas. The following month, the Presidente informs that in the recent visit of President Gral. Avila Camacho, he spoke to him about the water problem, and that the President promissed him "...to make that important improvement..." Therefore, it is agreed to make another study and give it to the new President of Mexico

In 941, El Cibuta is expropriated by the Federal Government, who leaves the same occupiers as depositaries of the land. The first days of that year, Demetrio Kikiakis asks for permission to build a horse race track in lands he owns "neighboring West of the Nogales - Hermosillo highway, between Kilometers five and seven" By August, the President informs that during his stay in Mexico City, he made arrangements so that the Federal Congress give Nogales the cathegory of "Heroic" due to the International Conflict of 1918, and he asks for their approval to send it to the Federal Representative, Jacinto Lopez, for his invervention.

Ending that year, the Governor approves that "...the Municipal and Health authorities delimit the Red Zone... which should be limited between the new Juarez Street up to the Canada..." and he asks in a later notification, for the "cancellation of all the permits to sell beer in the assignment houses located outside of those limits..." However, this will be only another attempt to contain the growth of this activity.

Those same days, Dr. Angel Niño Ramos builds on his own the Maternity Hospital, and when he is about to finish it, he asks the Ayuntamiento some help to acquire: "some food, oil and heaters..." The only answer he receives is that the Council will study his petition.

The following day after Pearl Harbor is attacked, on December 7, 1941, Mexico also declares war against the Axis, and the border between Ambos Nogales dissappears, at least during the war. A few days later, some 900 Mexican soldiers cross the border. They are going to Lower California, to protect it against some Japanese attack.

However, the main consequence for Nogales is that also related to the Second World War and the establishment of Military Bases, like Davis-Monthan, in Tucson, and also later with the Corean War, in this border city prostitution will continue as well as the sale of liquor, gradually adopting the image of legitimate businesses, which are sanctioned by the economic and moral leaders of the border, due to the fact, as Revel Mouroz says:

"Precisely on this set of activities, the local bourgeousies will base their later economic achievements in importations and exportations, as well as banking, industry, and real estate."

However, during those same years, the "white" image of a Nogales where there is no criminality is also promoted. It is supposedly a Nogales innocent of crime, a Nogales with no violence.

Two years later, when the war has turned into a World War, the journalist Pomposo Salazar asks for the closing of the prostitution houses: "Nogales needs of an iron hand... because from the official tolerance in a zone, it turned into tolerance throughout the whole city." The reason is that although the Red Zone is located only in Canal Street, in reality prostitution is practiced in almost all the bars in town.

Besides this, during October of 1943, street vendors complain against the orders of the Health Department who forbids them to sell, and answer to the argument that Nogales, Sonora should look like Nogales, Arizona, where there is no street vendors. They say that if the economic situation of Mexico would be the same as in Arizona, they wouldn´t complain.

That same month, the exemption for the importation of articles from Arizona is increased to $200 pesos/month, and at the same time the image of only one town, Both Nogales, divided by a fence, is only a memory, a myth preserved as a tourism attraction. Pomposo Salazar editorializes in an article that the newspapers in Both Nogales ignore what happens in the other town, and only very grave happenings in one city are covered in the other. He also adds that the two cities: "communicate only through commerce. Those from this side of the border buy in the other side; and those from the other side buy here passing through what some innocents have called "imaginary line." Outside of commercial trade, there is no other contact."

It is that while Sonorenses have to acquire a Visa to be able to visit Nogales, Arizona, paying bribes of a minimum of $20 Dlls to acquire the required Form 5, at the same time, the Arizonians can enter freely to Sonora without any restriction.

The last days of the year, the local Lions Club is formed, and their first President is Dr. Arriola, Director of the Local Health Department. During those years, there is a notable increase in child deaths during the Nogales Summers, due to the proliferation of gastrointestinal diseases causes by the contaminated water that is provided to Nogales. The reason: all of the water supply is fed through wells located within the Nogales Arroyo watershed, where biologic contaminants have been accumulating since the founding of the town. A neighborhood that suffers the most of these sicknesses is La Granja. During the Winters, the Old Nogaleses are who suffer the most because of the cold.

As an element in this restructuring process, the Fiestas de Mayo will turn now into the yearly celebration simbolizing this new border economic order, and will supply the old Carnivals which, as we have seen, had been the main Border festivity since 1895. In 1941, Delia Siqueiros, Queen candidate to the Carnival had been burned when a fireckacker burns her dress, and had died a few days later. That same year begins another festivity, known as Fiesta of the Flowers, on May 5. Two years of indecission will follow, during which the Carnival degrades, not only because of lack of organization, but also because of mismanagement of the economic resources, while the Fiestas in May aren't celebrated during 1943 because of the War.

Starting 1942, the Sindico asks that the Congress be asked for the "...urbanization of all the surface occupied by the City of Nogales" and on February 5 a new school is opened in the Santa Clara Ranch, while during the following week, Dr. Niño Ramos, Chief of the Child Assistance and Maternity Center asks for help for the better functioning of the Center, with "...aliments, medicines, as wll as a Child Care Center..." to attend the needs of those mothers who don´t have where to leave their children. The Council determines that it is not possible to give him "...all he needs because the economic situation of the Municipality don´t allow it [however, they will give $45 a Month]... for the salary of a professional child care woman..." And so, Nogales grows again in population.

On february 13, the Council declared urbanized the following Neighborhoods: Moderna, Municipal, Municipal Anex, Rosario, Bolivar, Buenos Aires, Reforma, Altamirano, and Granja, in a distance of 4,115 meters from the border, and 2,517.2 of width.

Ending that year, the Gil Lamadrid school is closed, while the Fedral Tipo school is absorbed by the State, and changes it's name to Justo Sierra.

Beginning 1943 the concrete bridge that crosses the Arroyo in front of Embarcadero is finished, while the last day of April the Contract that gives to the firemen the lot located right next to the Municipal building is signed.

On February 1944 Don Ignacio Bonillas passes away. He had made the first Map of the township of Nogales, and during the Revolution was candidate for the Presidency of Mexico against Obregon. Later, he would return to Nogales, to spend the rest of his life administering the local Water Company.

On February 4, a fire burns Newberry's in Nogales, Arizona, and the fire also burns part of the warehouses of Penney's and La Ville de Paris.

That same year, the Carnival pass almost without being noticed because of the climatd, in spite that an honest man was chosen as their Treasurer, Conrado Saspe. He informs that a good amount was collected during the festivities: $8,058.63

Sunday, April 9, Nogales witnesses the blessing of the works of the Virgin of Guadalupe Temple: The ceremony is conducted by the President of ACJM, Agustin Lares, while the Jesuit Francisco de la Torre gives the blessing. Two Sundays later, during the ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the Founding of the Nogales Fire Department, a drawing of it's founder, Gustavo L. Manriquez, made by Jesus Gonzalez L is presented to the Firemen.

The Fiestas de Mayo, on the other side, are a total exit that year. However, the most important happening that year is the start of the works to bring in water from the Santa Cruz river. They are promoted by the Federal Government and undertaken by the Mexico City Company, Eterno Eureka, S. A.