Alice, Texas, sits a little higher than you might expect, a subtle rise in the coastal plain where mesquite trees stubbornly thrive. It’s a hardworking town, no doubt about it, and fiercely proud of its Texan roots. The high school football games, with the Coyotes tearing up the field, are a testament to that. But the town’s name itself tells a story, a story of family and legacy. The town was named Alice in 1888, after Alice Gertrudis King. She was the daughter of Richard King, the legendary founder of the King Ranch. Now, naming a town after the daughter of a ranching titan, that says something about the King family’s influence, their deep connection to the land and the future they envisioned for South Texas. It’s a name that whispers of wide-open spaces, cattle drives, and the kind of grit it takes to carve a life out of this tough country. Even today, with the oil and gas industries so vital to the local economy and the echoes of Tejano music from the radio stations, that spirit, that connection to the King Ranch legacy, still feels present in Alice.

Alice, TX RoadyGoat

A notable event in Alice's history is the 'Box 13 scandal' that occurred during the 1948 United States Senate election. At Alice's Precinct 13, 202 ballots were cast in alphabetical order and all just at the close of polling in favor of Lyndon B. Johnson, which contributed to his victory against Coke Stevenson by a mere 87 votes.

RoadyGoat →

Alice, TX RoadyGoat

Alice is recognized as the 'Birthplace of Tejano Music', dating back to the mid-1940s. The city is home to Ideal Records, the first home-based recording company to record Tejano artists exclusively. Founded by Armando Marroquin Sr. and Paco Betancourt, Ideal Records played a crucial role in getting Tejano music to the public, making it a significant landmark in the history of music.

RoadyGoat →

Ideal Records

1946

Ideal Records, one of the most influential regional recording companies for Mexican-American music during the post–World War II era, was founded in 1946 by Armando Marroquín (with partner and distributor Paco Betancourt ) in Alice, Texas. Marroquín started recording local artists during the 1940s. Major record labels had begun reducing their involvement in the ethnic music markets, in part because of wartime shortages of shellac and other materials needed for making records. Frustrated with the major labels' abandonment of the local music markets, Marroquín paid $200 for an acetate-disk recording machine and set up a makeshift studio in his home. The first recordings he made were of Carmen y Laura (the former being his wife) and Narciso Martínez . Paco Betancourt, who owned the Rio Grande Music Company in San Benito, helped distribute the records. Marroquín also found distributors in the Los Angeles area. With very little competition from other labels, Marroquín's records sold very well, and the Ideal studio soon became a magnet for aspiring local musicians who previously had virtually no access to major recording facilities. Over the next few decades, Ideal Records helped resurrect or launch the careers of several important performers. Among the most successful of the Ideal artists, besides Martínez, were Tony de la Rosa , Valerio Longoria , and El Conjunto Bernal , led by Eloy and Paulino Bernal. Perhaps the most influential musician to record for Ideal was Alberto "Beto" Villa , widely recognized as the "father" of orquesta Tejana , a unique blend of traditional Mexican folk music with 1940s big-band swing. Hoping to push popular Mexican-American music in a new direction, Villa persuaded Marroquín to let him add more sophisticated instrumentation and musical arrangements to what had been a traditional conjunto band. Consequently, Villa was able to build a larger orchestra that combined Mexican-American folk-music traditions with the big-band sound that dominated the popular music scene during and after World War II . Despite Marroquín's initial apprehension, Villa's new sound quickly caught on and led to a booming orquesta Tejana movement that influenced Mexican-American music for generations to come. Ideal Records played a major role in shaping Tejano music in other ways as well. Martínez helped make the accordion a standard backup instrument for a variety of prominent vocal duets. Longoria was the first to make vocals a prominent feature of conjunto by integrating polka instrumentals with ranchera lyrics. Longoria also led the way in incorporating into conjunto modern drums and such popular dance steps as the bolero. Despite complaints from some that Marroquín exploited his artists by underpaying them, Ideal remained the largest and most influential regional Mexican-American music label in the Southwest until Marroquín founded a new company, Nopal Records, in 1960. His former partner, Paco Betancourt, continued to distribute Ideal recordings through his Rio Grande Music Company and opened a new studio with a family member, John Phillips, Sr. Reportedly, a young local musician, Baldemar Huerta (later known as Freddy Fender ), helped out with engineering duties and also recorded there. In 1990 music historian and Arhoolie Records owner Chris Strachwitz purchased all the Ideal masters which had been stored in San Benito at the Rio Grande Music Company. Thus many pioneer Tejano and conjunto recordings have been preserved and subsequently reissued for discovery by new audiences.

Tsha Handbook →

La Villita Dance Hall

1952

La Villita Dance Hall, which became known as the “Grand Ole Opry” of Tejano and conjunto music , was located on the edge of the city of Alice, Texas, and was originally nothing more than a big outdoor patio. However, it was soon transformed into a dance hall, designed by an architect from Monterrey, Mexico. La Villita was a large hall, at 15,000 square feet, and could hold 650 people seated and another 350 standing. The venue was established by Armando Marroquín and his wife Carmen . Armando also founded the pioneering Tejano company Ideal Records , whose earliest releases were made on a small recording machine at their kitchen table. Carmen and her sister Laura Hernández Cantú became well-known Tejana singers —the duet of Carmen y Laura. In the 1940s and 1950s Armando Marroquín recorded and made artists like Narciso Martínez (known as the “father” of conjunto music) and Beto Villa (the “father of orquestas Tejanas ) well known due to the distribution of their recordings. Armando and Carmen discovered the need for a large dance hall to showcase Tejano performers as an alternative to school gymnasiums. La Villita opened in 1952 with an admission cost of $1.20 for men and 65 cents for women. The opening featured orquesta leader Beto Villa. In the following years, all the major vocalists, conjuntos, and orquestas of early Tejano music performed at La Villita, which became the first major center for Tejano music and one of the earliest large dance halls in the Coastal Bend. Names of artists and their groups who played there included Narciso Martínez, Isidro López , Balde Gonzáles , Tony de la Rosa , Paulino Bernal, Juan Colorado , La Mafia, Emilio Navaira , Roberto Pulido, Ruben Naranjo , Eligio Escobar , and many others. Mexican stars such as Antonio Aguilar and Vicente Fernández performed there as well. La Villita was the site of weddings, quinceañeras, birthdays, and anniversaries for thousands of residents in the Alice area. Carmen selected pink to be the color of everything in La Villita, from the exterior to the cashbox. Alice resident and longtime patron Juan Manrique recalled memories of his time there in the late 1960s. “In the old days, the girls would stand along the wall on one side and the guys on the other side. We would make signs with our hands like ‘You and me? Take a twirl?’” Armando Marroquín died in 1990, and his wife Carmen continued to operate the dance hall by herself and earned the reputation as one of the most talented and hard-working women in the Tejano industry. Due to age and failing health, however, she eventually decided to close the historic venue. The hall was packed on the night of June 26, 2004, to hear the last two groups at La Villita perform—legendary Los Dos Gilbertos and a young group, Ricky Naranjo y Los Gamblers. After its official closing, the hall continued to host the annual induction ceremony and dance of the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame for several years. Carmen Marroquín passed away in 2010. Efforts to reopen the hall as a Christian music venue in 2013 failed, and as of 2018 La Villita was still closed and for sale.

Tsha Handbook →

Archelaus Bynum Dodson

1835

(December 31, 1807-March 10, 1898) Texas patriot famed as man who introduced the Lone Star flag during the Texas Revolution. Born in North Carolina, Dodson came to Texas with his parents in 1827. He served as a delegate to the 1832 Convention seeking governmental reforms. On May 17, 1835, he married Sarah Rudolph Bradley. Later in the year 1835, Dodson was first lieutenant in Texas defense unit under Capt. Andrew Robinson. To Robinson's company his bride presented her handiwork-- a red, white and blue flag of Texas. This banner flew at Washington-on the-Brazos when Declaration of Independence was signed March 2, 1836. Dodson continued to fight in the Texas Revolution until after victory at San Jacinto. He located his headright of land in Grimes County, moving family there in 1844. Mrs. Sarah Bradley Dodson, flag maker and mother of six children, died in 1848. Her grave is in Bethel Cemetery, near Bedias, Grimes County. Dodson in 1850 married Louisa McWhorter, a widow. In 1860 he moved his family west to another Texas frontier, on the Nueces River. In this vicinity he lived to a respected old age. At death he was buried in Collins Cemetery, a half-mile south of here. (1969)

Historical Marker →

Alice

1880

In the 1880s, when the lines of the Corpus Christi, San Diego, & Rio Grande and the San Antonio & Aransas Pass railroads intersected, a new townsite was platted at the junction in what was then Nueces County. First called Bandana and then Kleberg, the town was finally named Alice (for Alice King Kleberg) when a post office was granted in 1888. Homes, business, schools, and churches were soon established. Texas Rangers serving in south Texas were headquartered in Alice. P. A. Presnall was elected the first mayor in 1904. Alice became the county seat of newly created Jim Wells County in 1911. (1988)

Historical Marker →

Vicinity of Texas Rangers' Battle of May 29, 1850

1850

A gallant fight in era after Mexican War, while the Federals and Texans were ridding Nueces to Rio Grande area of marauders. Texas Rangers under Capt. John S. "Rip" Ford surprised camp of Comanches near this site on May 29, 1850. In numbers, Rangers and Indians were about equal. Seven Comanches were wounded, four slain; one Ranger was killed and two were wounded. Comanche Chief Otto Cuero was wounded by Capt. Ford and slain by a bullet from the gun of Ranger David Steele, who sent chief's regalia to Governor P. H. Bell, an ex-Texas Ranger. (1969)

Historical Marker →

Things to Do in Alice

historical 21.0 mi away

King Ranch

Captain Richard King bought his first Texas brushland in 1853 and by the time he died the King Ranch covered eight hundred and twenty-five thousand acres --…

quirky 23.1 mi away

World Champion Baton Twirler Billboard

A roadside billboard on State Highway 359 welcomes visitors to Benavides as the home of six-time world champion baton twirler Bonnie Palacios. Her father…

Everything Near Alice

92 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Alice, TX
Alice, Texas, sits a little higher than you might expect, a subtle rise in the coastal plain where mesquite trees stubbornly thrive. It’s a hardworking town, no doubt about it, and fiercely proud of its Texan roots. The…
Los PreseÃ±os · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jim Wells County, and just east of here, a settlement called Los Preseños began in 1831. Marcelino Lopez received a land grant from Mexico to start this community along a vital trade route. Though…
Alice · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
In the 1880s, when the lines of the Corpus Christi, San Diego, & Rio Grande and the San Antonio & Aransas Pass railroads intersected, a new townsite was platted at the junction in what was then Nueces County. First…
Jim Wells County Courthouse · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Jim Wells County Courthouse, a building that's been the center of county government since it was constructed. Governor Colquitt created Jim Wells County in 1911, named for James B. Wells, Jr. The…
First Presbyterian Church of Alice · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Alice's First Presbyterian Church. Organized in 1898 with fifteen charter members, it began as a mission church. The congregation purchased land for $137.75 in 1903 and completed its…
Ideal Records · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Ideal Records, one of the most influential regional recording companies for Mexican-American music during the post–World War II era, was founded in 1946 by Armando Marroquín (with partner and distributor Paco Betancourt…
La Villita Dance Hall · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
La Villita Dance Hall, which became known as the “Grand Ole Opry” of Tejano and conjunto music , was located on the edge of the city of Alice, Texas, and was originally nothing more than a big outdoor patio. However, it…
Marroquín, Armando · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Alice, Texas, where a frustrated jukebox operator named Armando Marroquín decided to start his own record label. Back in 1946, he was tired of not finding enough Tejano music to play, so he turned…
Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame Museum · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Alice, Texas, the official birthplace of Tejano music! Right here is where the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame Museum is located. Founded in 1999, this museum celebrates Tejano music, a vibrant…
Alice, TX · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Alice, Texas, but did you know this town owes its existence to a railroad dispute? Back in 1880, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway wanted to build through the existing community of Collins,…
Perales, Alonso S. · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Alonso S. Perales, civil rights activist, lawyer, diplomat, and public intellectual, was born on October 17, 1898, to Susana (Sandoval) and Nicolas Perales in Alice, Texas. He was orphaned at age six and as a child…
Treviño, Fortino · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Fortino Treviño, World War I veteran, barber, and civil rights activist, was born in Rancho de los Sáenz, Starr County, Texas, on October 8, 1891, to Crecensio Treviño and Eugenia Naranjo. He grew up in Alice, Texas,…

Show all 92 nearby places

Marroquín, Carmen Hernández · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in Alice, Texas, you're passing through a place that became a hub for Tejano music! Carmen Hernández Marroquín, part of the famous sister duet Carmen y Laura, found her kitchen transformed into a recording…
Naranjo, Ruben · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Alice, Texas, the hometown of Ruben Naranjo, a legendary conjunto accordionist. Born here in 1945, Naranjo became known as "El Hijo del Pueblo," or "The Son of the Town," and "El Si Senor" for his…
Velázquez, Eulalio · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Alice, Texas, where Eulalio Velázquez made a significant mark on the Mexican-American community. Around 1903, he established El Cosmopolita, the area's very first newspaper printed entirely in…
Glossbrenner, Ernestine Viola · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here in Alice, you're passing through the community that was home to Ernestine Viola Glossbrenner. She wasn't just a teacher for over twenty years; she became a powerful…
Collins, TX (Nueces County) · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Jim Wells County, near Alice. Just a century ago, this was the site of Collins, a town that sprang up in 1878. It was built on the Los Preseños grant, right across San Fernando Creek…
Ladies LULAC · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
Ladies LULAC was composed of women's chapters in the League of United Latin American Citizens , the oldest Hispanic civil-rights organization in Texas. Ladies LULAC was founded in 1933 at the statewide annual LULAC…
Presnall, Pope A. · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, you're passing through the history of Pope A. Presnall. Back in 1883, he drove the first herd of cattle across the Devil's River onto the vast Pecos Range, westward to…
McGill Brothers Building · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past McGill Brothers Building. Mississippi native J. W. McGill and his wife Lydia (Abell) reared two sons, James Claude (1873-1935) and H. Frank (1883-1952).
Jim Wells County · 0.3 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jim Wells County, and right here, the town of Alice owes its existence to a railroad and a bit of relocation. Back in 1878, the settlement of Collins sprang up as a stop on the Corpus Christi, San…
Jim Wells County · 1.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jim Wells County, Texas. This county was formed from Nueces County and officially organized back in 1911. It's named for Judge James B. Wells, a prominent lawyer who was born in Texas in 1854 and…
The Birthplace of Tejano Music · 1.1 mi
You're in the town that gave modern Tejano music its voice. After World War II, a local man named Armando Marroquin was running a jukebox business here, and he kept hitting the same wall: there were almost no…
The Duke and the Stolen Election · 1.1 mi
Alice sits in Jim Wells County, which was once part of a political fiefdom run by the powerful and corrupt Parr family. George Parr, known as the 'Duke of Duval,' controlled politics in South Texas for decades through a…
The Technology of the Oil Patch · 1.1 mi
Alice’s role in the oil industry goes far beyond just drilling wells. It became a crucial center for petroleum technology and engineering. The geology of South Texas presents unique challenges—tricky shale layers,…
The Hub City · 1.1 mi
Why is Alice called the 'Hub City'? Look at a map, and you’ll see why. The name isn't just a booster slogan; it’s a literal description of the town’s function. It started with railroads. The San Antonio and Aransas Pass…
Alice Cemetery · 1.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Alice Cemetery, a burial ground serving this area for over a century. It began in 1903 when Frederic Nayer donated land for the town's burial ground, then called Alice Fraternal Cemetery. The…
Archelaus Bynum Dodson · 1.6 mi · Historical Marker
(December 31, 1807-March 10, 1898) Texas patriot famed as man who introduced the Lone Star flag during the Texas Revolution. Born in North Carolina, Dodson came to Texas with his parents in 1827. He served as a delegate…
Mr. F. and the Road to His Park · 1.6 mi
Farm to Market Road Nineteen Thirty One in Alice is Flournoy Road, named by the Legislature in nineteen ninety nine for an Alice oilman known as Mr. F. Lucien Flournoy was born in Greenwood, Louisiana, and earned a…
Rancho Alegre, TX · 1.7 mi
As of the 2000 census, Rancho Alegre's population was 79.15% White, 0.73% African American, 0.73% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 17.41% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race…
Wright, William Thomas · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once the heart of South Texas ranching country. Right here, near Nuecestown, William Thomas Wright was born back in 1869. He grew up to be a legendary cattle drover, moving tens of…
Los Preseños, TX · 1.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
Los Preseños was a Mexican ranch settlement about two miles east of the site of what is now Alice in Jim Wells County. It was started by Marcelino López of Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, in 1831 after he applied in…
Vicinity of Texas Rangers' Battle of May 29, 1850 · 2.8 mi · Historical Marker
A gallant fight in era after Mexican War, while the Federals and Texans were ridding Nueces to Rio Grande area of marauders. Texas Rangers under Capt. John S. "Rip" Ford surprised camp of Comanches near this site on May…
South Texas Brush Country - Cabeza de Vaca's Prickly Pear Years · 5.6 mi · Historical Event
You're in the brush country of South Texas, the region Cabeza de Vaca called the Land of Tunas — the land of prickly pears. From about 1532 to 1534, he and three other Spanish survivors lived among the Mariames and…
Escobar, Eligio Roque · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Ben Bolt, where Eligio Roque Escobar was born. He worked as an oilfield truck driver until a severe leg injury in 1960 changed everything. Instead of driving trucks, he…
The Highway Name That Took Seventy Years to Make Legal · 6.6 mi
Every mile of U S Highway Two Eighty One inside Texas is the American Legion Memorial Highway, and the name is much older than the law behind it. On April thirtieth, nineteen thirty five, the Texas Highway Commission…
Las Calaveras Cemetery · 7.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Las Calaveras Cemetery, a resting place for generations of the Valadez family and the Ben Bolt community. The earliest marked grave here is Daniel Valadez, who died in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
Amargosa, TX · 10.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Amargosa (Armagosa) is a mile off U.S. Highway 281 and eight miles northwest of Alice in northwestern Jim Wells County. It was originally a ranch settlement on Amargosa Creek, owned by Manuel Barrera of Mier,…
The Gas Boom · 10.1 mi
In April 1928, a well drilled near here struck oil, opening up the Agua Dulce oilfield. The discovery changed everything. Before then, this was a quiet cotton town. Afterward, it became a key player in the South Texas…
Tapping the Gas Giant Below · 10.1 mi
The ground beneath Agua Dulce holds a masterpiece of geological engineering. The immense Agua Dulce gas field isn't just one big bubble of gas; it's a complex system of stacked reservoirs. The key formations are the…
The Railroad That Built Agua Dulce · 10.1 mi
If you see the railroad tracks running parallel to the highway, you're looking at one big reason Agua Dulce exists. That's the Texas Mexican Railway - the Tex-Mex - a narrow-gauge line that reached San Diego in 1879 and…
Alfred, TX · 10.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jim Wells County, and right here is the community of Alfred. It started in 1888 as a town called Driscoll. But when the railroad came through in 1904, the new station wanted to be named Driscoll…
Ranching, then oil in the 1900s · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Duval County, a region shaped by both its landscape and its people. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1858, it was organized in 1879. Early settlers, including those from Mexico and later Anglo…
Murdered after the Goliad surrender · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Duval County, established in 1858 and organized in 1876. It's named for Burr H. Duval, a captain under Fannin at Goliad. He was murdered after the surrender in March of 1836. The county seat is…
Duval County · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
Created by the Texas Legislature in 1858 and organized in 1879, Duval County played an important role in the economic and political development of South Texas. Early settlers came to this area in the mid-19th century…
Duval County · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
Created February 1, 1858, organized November 7, 1876. Named in honor of Burr H. Duval, 1809-1836. Captain of a company of Fannin's command at Goliad. Murdered after the surrender March 27, 1836. San Diego, the county…
St. Francis de Paula Catholic Church · 10.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of St. Francis de Paula Catholic Church. Established in 1867 by Father Claude Jaillet, it was built by its members and served as the area's religious center. The current church building was…
El Plan de San Diego · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through San Diego, Duval County, where a pivotal moment in Texas history unfolded on January 6, 1915. Nine men signed 'El Plan de San Diego,' a manifesto calling for an armed insurrection across the…
The Plan de San Diego · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker
In January of 1915, a document was signed in the small Duval County town of San Diego that called for an armed uprising of Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, and Native peoples against the United States government.…
Parr, George Berham [1901–1975] · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, deep in the heart of Duval County, where for decades, one man ruled as 'El Patrón.' George B. Parr, born in San Diego back in 1901, inherited his father's political machine. He wasn't…
Ramos, Basilio, Jr. · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, in what's now Hidalgo County, a radical plot was uncovered that could have changed the map of the United States. In early 1915, Basilio Ramos, Jr., a man involved in…
Plan of San Diego · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
With the outbreak of revolution in northern Mexico in 1910, federal authorities and officials of the state of Texas feared that the violence and disorder might spill over into the Rio Grande valley. The Mexican and…
Bard, John Peter · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near San Diego, and right here is where Father John Peter Bard served a massive parish. He arrived in 1877, covering 200 ranches and missions spread over 100 miles south and 60 miles…
Buckley, William Frank · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Duval County, and right here, in what's now San Diego, a young William Frank Buckley learned Spanish. That skill would become his ticket to international fame and fortune. He grew up fluent in the…
Duval County · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Duval County, and right here, in the late 1870s, this place was a hotbed for outlaws. In 1873, the infamous Alberto Garza and his sixty-man crew made this area the center of their horse-stealing…
Moses, John Williamson · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near San Diego, where John Williamson Moses carved out a life as a lawyer, judge, and writer. He arrived in Texas way back in 1841, eventually settling in the Banquete area.…
Perez, Pablo · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here is the birthplace of San Diego. Pablo Perez, a key founder, arrived in the late 1840s. While others were mapping routes, Perez saw opportunity. He bought land across…
Tequileros · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near the border, and you might just be passing through the old stomping grounds of the 'tequileros.' Literally meaning 'tequila people,' these were smugglers who, during…
San Diego, TX · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through San Diego, a town with roots stretching back centuries. Long before it was a town, travelers stopped here for water at springs on what's now San Diego Creek. By 1809, Spanish land grants were…
Garcia, Juan Mario [Juan Colorado] · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near San Diego, Texas, the birthplace of Juan Mario Garcia, better known as Juan Colorado. Born in 1923, his distinctive red hair earned him that nickname, and he started his first band while still in…
Jaillet, Claude · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here in San Diego, you're passing through a community that owes its spiritual beginnings to Father Claude Jaillet. He arrived from France in 1866, landing in New York and…
Luby, James O. · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
James O. Luby, Confederate soldier, lawyer, Duval County official, rancher, and Republican party leader, was born on June 14, 1846, in London, England, to Daniel and Kate (Smith) Luby. In 1854 his widowed mother took…
Rodriguez de Gonzales, Elvira · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, perhaps near San Diego, where Elvira Rodriguez de Gonzales made her mark. Born in Mexico in 1883, she came to Texas and became a dedicated teacher. But her real passion was bridging…
Battle of Agua Dulce · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Battle of Agua Dulce, a forgotten skirmish during the Texas Revolution. It's March 2nd, <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1836</say-as>, the very same day Texas declared its…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: San Diego (San Diego) · 10.7 mi
San Diego (San Diego, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Omar Aleman (0.444 avg).
The Duke of Duval · 11.1 mi
From the Duval County Courthouse in San Diego, one family ruled South Texas for more than 60 years. They were the Parrs, and their political machine was legendary. It began with Archer 'Archie' Parr, a county…
The Plan of San Diego · 11.1 mi
In the winter of 1915, a document surfaced that sent a shockwave of fear across Texas. It was called the 'Plan de San Diego,' and it was a radical manifesto allegedly drafted or proclaimed right here in town. The plan…
The Iron Horse in the Brush Country · 11.1 mi
As you travel through San Diego you'll likely cross a set of railroad tracks. Those tracks carry a crucial engineering and economic story. In 1879 the Corpus Christi, San Diego and Rio Grande Railroad reached the town,…
Drilling Down into the Past · 14.6 mi
The land around Orange Grove looks flat, but the real action is happening thousands of feet below your tires. The discovery of oil here in the 1930s wasn't just luck; it was geology. Over millions of years, this area…
At the Forks of the Agua Dulce · 14.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a fierce running fight during the Texas Revolution. Just fifteen miles southwest of San Patricio, at the forks of the Agua Dulce, a group of Texan volunteers met their end. On March 2nd,…
A Foundation of Faith · 14.6 mi
Just a couple of years after Orange Grove was laid out, its earliest residents got a church going. The town itself dates to 1908, when Fennell Dibrell and Max Starcke were hired to subdivide twenty-five hundred acres…
Cattle Drives From South Texas · 14.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the heart of what was once a wild, untamed cattle kingdom! By the 1840s, millions of longhorns roamed South Texas, and they were practically worthless. But that all changed. In 1846, Edward Piper…
Palo Ventana Ranch · 16.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jim Wells County, not far from Orange Grove. Right here is the land that was once the Palo Ventana Ranch. Founded in 1867 by English immigrants George and Hannah Compton Reynolds, this place was a…
Orange Grove, TX · 16.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jim Wells County, heading towards Orange Grove. This town owes its start to a railroad and a bit of marketing savvy. Back in 1889, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway reached this area.…
Orange Grove, TX · 16.3 mi
Orange Grove, Texas, sits just a little ways northwest of Corpus Christi, right where the coastal plains start to roll into something a bit more like ranchland. You can feel the change in the air, a little less…
Hide and Tallow Plant · 16.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Kingsville, and right around here is the site of a little-known King Ranch operation from the late 1860s. After the Civil War, Captain Richard King wanted to make money off more than just prime…
Banquete C.S.A. · 16.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Banquete, a town that played a surprisingly crucial role in the Civil War. Forget battles; think logistics. During the war, this place was a vital oasis on the Cotton Road to Mexico. Thousands of…
Scull, Sarah Jane Newman [Sally] · 17.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once wild Texas frontier, and right here, you might have been in the territory of Sally Scull. Born in 1817, Sally was a legend in her own time. She arrived with Stephen F. Austin's first…
Banquete, TX · 17.1 mi
The name Banquete has a rich history, stemming from a four-day feast that honored the completion of a road linking San Patricio, Texas, with Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. This feast was a celebration of connection and…
Thirty Seven Schools and a Union · 17.5 mi
State Highway Forty Four, through Nueces and Jim Wells Counties outside Corpus Christi, is the Cesar Chavez Memorial Highway. The Texas Legislature gave it the name in nineteen ninety nine. Chavez was born near Yuma,…
Banquete Cemtery · 17.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Banquete, a town whose name literally means 'feast' in Spanish. That feast happened way back in June 1832, when Mexican officials hosted a celebration to welcome Irish colonists who had settled along…
A Road Named Twice, Then Given His Full Name · 18.3 mi
Farm to Market Road Six Sixty Six, between State Highway Forty Four and Farm to Market Road Six Twenty Four in Nueces County, is the Kollyn Gene Barton Memorial Highway. Kollyn Barton was a senior at Banquete High…
Santa Gertrudis, Headquarters of the King Ranch · 18.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the legendary Santa Gertrudis, the heart of the vast King Ranch. This land was part of a Spanish land grant when Captain Richard King bought it way back in 1853. Imagine, the very first King Ranch…
Mexican Activities at Santa Gertrudis in the 1830's · 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the historic Santa Gertrudis camp, a place that saw some serious action in the 1830s. Back in 1832, citizens from Matamoros stopped here on their way to a feast with Irish settlers. Just a few years…
Camp Kingsville, U.S.A. · 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Kingsville, Texas, where back in 1915, this area was Camp Kingsville, a U.S. Army base set up to deal with the unrest on the Mexican border. Lieutenant Joseph Dorst Patch established the camp, and…
Kleberg County · 19.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Kleberg County, formed from Nueces County back in 1913. It was organized the same year, named for Robert Justus Kleberg, a German settler who arrived in Texas way back, fought at San Jacinto, and…
King Ranch, The · 19.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the legendary King Ranch, a Texas institution that sprawls across nearly a million acres today! It all started in 1853, when steamboat captain Richard King bought two Spanish land grants and founded…
King Ranch, C.S.A. · 19.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the historic King Ranch, a vital lifeline for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King, by 1861, the ranch boasted twenty thousand cattle and three thousand…
Cattle Dipping Vat · 19.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Kingsville, and right here is the site of a world-changing invention for the cattle industry! In 1894, this vat was built, believed to be the very first of its kind anywhere. Tick fever was…
Camp San Fernando · 19.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Camp San Fernando, a vital Confederate outpost during the Civil War. This post guarded the lifeline of the Confederacy: the cotton road, a crucial export-import route running all the way…
Texas A&M University-Kingsville · 19.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Texas A&M University-Kingsville, a school with a proud history that started back in 1917. That's when the state decided to build a normal college here to train teachers. But World War I pushed the…
Kingsville Cotton Mill · 19.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Kingsville Cotton Mill, a place that bounced back from closure more than once. It opened in 1921, thanks to folks like William D. McNeill, and churned out yarn for carpets. But…

Explore Alice on the Map

All music from Texas → Find another town Vote on city songs

Alice, Texas

Music in Alice

Songs About Alice

Artists From Alice

Rivers & Roads in Song near Alice

History of Alice

Alice, TX RoadyGoat

Alice, TX RoadyGoat

Alice, TX RoadyGoat

Ideal Records

La Villita Dance Hall

Archelaus Bynum Dodson

Alice

Vicinity of Texas Rangers' Battle of May 29, 1850

Things to Do in Alice

Everything Near Alice

Sign up for the free newsletter