In 1886, Waco had officially been a town for 37 years. The population was 16,000. The Suspension Bridge was sixteen years old, the Washington Avenue Bridge was 16 years in the future, and the Amicable Building was 25 years in the future. Trees grew along the rivers, but all the surrounding area was mostly treeless prairie land. In this artist’s/balloonist’s view, we can see the vast, open prairie that was North Waco. It still looked much like this when Camp MacArthur was built in 1916. Many things have changed…but the old Brazos De Dios…the Arms of God, was rolling along and wrapping around our city…just as it does today!