Laredo, Texas

Everything Laredo is known for

72 songs mention this city 24 artists from here

RoadyGoat plays music like this when you drive through Laredo. It's free on iPhone, and full songs play through Apple Music.

Laredo, Texas, a vibrant border city on the Rio Grande, boasts a rich cultural heritage with a dynamic music scene. The city has been home to 25 artists and is mentioned in 39 songs, reflecting its enduring presence in music. Artists such as Adrian Quesada and Poncho Sanchez, known for their Latin music, hail from Laredo. The city's name also appears in well-known songs like "Streets of Laredo" by Marty Robbins and "Laredo" by Leon Bridges.

Music in Laredo

Songs About Laredo

New Year’s Day

Charlie Robison

98%

"Went down Camino Espinoza, gonna get me a divorce"

Webb County Fair Grounds Waltz

Very Old Morris

98%

"Webb County Fair Grounds Waltz"

Nuevo Laredo

sir douglas quintet

90%

Streets of Laredo (Instrumental)

Logan Austin

82%

"Streets of Laredo (Instrumental)"

Streets of Laredo

Billy Walker

82%

"As I was a-riding the streets of Laredo"

Streets of Laredo (Arr. by Logan Austin)

Logan Austin

81%

"Streets of Laredo"

Somewhere Over Laredo

Lainey Wilson

80%

"Somewhere over Laredo"

Streets of Laredo

Marty Robbins

80%

"As I walked out in the streets of Laredo"

Laredo

Band of Horses

80%

"Song about Laredo"

Laredo

Leon Bridges

80%

"Song about Laredo"

Laredo

Angie K

80%

"Song about Laredo"

Laredo (Small Dark Something)

Jon Dee Graham

80%

"Well, I drove to Laredo"

Leaving Laredo (or the Night Gilberto Hit the Floor)

Lost Immigrants

80%

"Leaving Laredo"

Laredo Blue

Rodrigo Haddad

80%

"Laredo Blue"

Laredo

Chris Cagle

78%

"Oh, Laredo, don't let her go"

streets of laredo

mary kaye

78%

Christmas in Laredo

Bo DePeña

78%

"Christmas in Laredo"

Lady of Laredo

Paul Eason

77%

"Lady of Laredo"

Streets of Laredo

Hollywood Studio Project

77%

"Streets of Laredo"

Ay te dejo en San Antonio

Flaco Jimenez

55%

"Y en Laredo ya tenias otros dos"

Showing top 20 of 72 songs · Hear more in the free iPhone app

Artists From Laredo

Showing top 20 of 24 artists · Hear more in the free iPhone app

Rivers & Roads in Song near Laredo

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Laredo.

U.S. Route 59 9 songs Interstate 35 45 songs Rio Grande / Río Bravo 162 songs Rio Grande / Río Bravo 249 songs

Musical Heritage

Adrian Quesada RoadyGoat

You've heard him even if you don't know the name. Adrian Quesada grew up in Laredo — three and a half hours from Austin, a world unto itself — and picked up a guitar at thirteen, classical and flamenco before he ever plugged in. In 2000 two bands he was in merged into Grupo Fantasma, a Latin funk outfit that won a Grammy and now and then shared a stage with Prince. Since then he's had a hand in more than fifty recordings — Brownout, Money Chicha, two solo albums in a single year. But the one that broke wide is Black Pumas, his soul duo with singer Eric Burton. Their song "Colors," a Best New Artist nomination, a set for the presidential inauguration. Not a bad run for a kid from the border who just kept making records.

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History of Laredo

The Seven-Flag City and the Republic of the Rio Grande RoadyGoat

Most people know Texas was under six flags, but Laredo is the 'City Under Seven Flags.' That seventh flag belonged to a country you've probably never heard of: the Republic of the Rio Grande. Back in 1840, the region was part of Mexico. But leaders in the northern states felt ignored and oppressed by the central government in Mexico City. So they did something radical: they declared independence. They formed their own nation, the Republic of the Rio Grande, and they made Laredo its capital. For 283 days, this brand-new country fought to exist. Its capitol building, a simple adobe structure, still stands in downtown Laredo. The rebellion was eventually crushed by the Mexican army, and the dream of an independent republic faded. But if you visit the museum today, you can stand in the very rooms where a new nation was born and died, a unique chapter in North American history.

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Jovita Idár Stands Down the Texas Rangers RoadyGoat

Imagine standing up to a force of armed men, all by yourself. That's what a 28-year-old woman named Jovita Idár did in Laredo in 1914. Idár, born right here in Laredo in 1885, was a journalist for 'El Progreso,' a Spanish-language newspaper that fiercely defended the rights of Mexican Americans. When the paper printed an editorial criticizing President Wilson's order sending U.S. troops to the border, it angered the authorities. The Texas Rangers were sent to shut the newspaper down. When the Rangers arrived at the newspaper office, as the story is told in Laredo, Jovita Idár stood in the doorway and physically blocked them from entering, arguing they had no right to silence the press. The Rangers backed off. They returned later when she wasn't there and destroyed the printing press, but her act of courage became an inspiration. In an era of intense discrimination, Jovita Idár's stand in a Laredo doorway was a powerful declaration for freedom of the press.

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The Engineered River of Commerce RoadyGoat

As you drive around Laredo, you're seeing the components of a massive, finely tuned machine built for trade. The heart of this machine is the World Trade Bridge, an eight-lane engineering marvel designed exclusively for commercial trucks. Every day, over 14,000 of them cross the border here, forming a constant, engineered river of commerce. Think about the logistics: each truck must be weighed, identified, and its cargo manifest checked. Many are sent through giant X-ray or gamma-ray scanners—a technology called non-intrusive inspection—to check for contraband without ever opening the doors. This entire process, from the bridge design to the software scheduling arrivals to the physics of the scanners, is a triumph of systems engineering. That truck you just passed on I-35 isn't just on a road; it's a data point in a complex, billion-dollar network that makes Laredo the most critical trade artery in the nation.

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Pvt. David Bennes Cantu Barkley

1899

Born in Laredo on March 31, 1899, David Bennes Cantu Barkley was the son of Josef Barkley, a career Army man stationed at Fort McIntosh, and Antonia Cantu. After the birth of David's sister Amelia, the family moved to San Antonio in 1904. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army under the name of David Barkley. Most World War I military records misspell his name as 'Barkeley." On August 22, 1918, David sailed on the S.S. Sobral to France as part of Company A, 356th Infantry, 89th Division. On November 9th, the company received a 'must' order to cross the Meuse River near Pouilly, France. David volunteered along with another soldier to swim across and explore the surrounding German territory. Despite resistance, Barkley made it across, crawled 400 yards behind enemy lines, and drew the required maps. On his swim back through enemy fire, Barkley was seized with cramps and drowned. His exhausted scouting partner was able to return with the information they had gathered together. Two days later, the Armistice went into effect. Private Barkley was commended by General John Pershing and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was then one of only three Texans to have been given the decoration in the war. He also received the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, Victory Medal, Croix de Guerre from France and Croce al Merito di Guerra from Italy. In 1921, his body lay in state at the Alamo, only the second person to have that honor. He is buried under the name David B. Barkley in San Antonio National Cemetery. In 1989, David Barkley's Hispanic heritage was revealed, thus spurring the Army to recognize him as the first Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient. (2017)

Historical Marker → · 3.1 mi away

Santos Benavides

1823

Santos Benavides, son of Jose Jesus and Marguerita Benavides and great-great grandson of Laredo founder Tomas Sanchez, was born in Laredo on November 1, 1823. He married Augustina Villareal in 1842. Benavides, appointed procurador (administrative agent) of Laredo in 1843, openly cooperated with the forces of Mirabeau B. Lamar which occupied Laredo during the Mexican War (1846-48) in an effort to pacify the region. He was elected mayor of Laredo in 1856 and 1857 and chief justice of Webb County in 1859. During the Civil War Benavides raised a company of cavalry at Laredo which defeated Juan Cortina in the Battle of Carrizo in 1861. He became a colonel in command of his own regiment known as Benavides' Regiment. On March 19, 1864, his regiment successfully defended Laredo with only 42 men against a Union force of more than 200 men. During the late 1860s and 1870' Benavides engaged in mercantile and ranching activities with his brother Cristobal. He served in the Texas Legislature during the 1880s and in 1884 was appointed Texas Commissioner to the world's Cotton Exposition. Benavides helped found the Guarache party, a faction of Laredo's Democratic Party. He died in Laredo on November 9, 1891. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995

Historical Marker →

Laredo Air Force Base

1940

During World War I, Kelly Field (San Antonio), reached its peak training capacity and the U.S. Army built several auxiliary landing fields in South Texas, including one in Laredo north of Fort McIntosh. In 1940, as the nation faced another war, the city of Laredo hired local contractor H.B. Zachry to build an airport to replace the landing strip. The city named the airport Zachry Field in honor of H.B.'s father, U.S. Army colonel John Zachry. In 1941, local leaders persuaded U.S. senator Morris Sheppard, chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee, to petition for a wartime training facility in Laredo. On May 7, 1942, the U.S. Military acquired Zachry Field, expanding the site to more than 2,085 acres, with an additional 685,000 acres of aerial target ranges northwest toward Eagle Pass ad 35,000 acres north of the city for ground target practice. In 1944, Laredo Army Air Field Flexible Gunnery School reached its peak capacity with more than 15,000 personnel and 250 aircraft. Airmen here trained in gunnery instruction and airplane and turret mechanics for medium and heavy bombers. While Women Airforce Service pilots flew engineering tests. In late 1945, the field became inactive and the land transferred to the War Assets Administration. In 1952, during the Korean War, the site reactivated as Laredo Air Force Base, providing basic training for cadets from the U.S. Air Force and 24 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. The base continued in operation until 1973, when the military declared the facility excess and deactivated the command. The site reopened in 1975 as Laredo International Airport, continuing its long association with aviation history in the area. (2007)

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Barkley, David Bennes

1918

David Bennes Barkley, Medal of Honor recipient, was born, probably in 1899, to Josef and Antonia (Cantú) Barkley in Laredo, Texas. When the United States entered World War I , Barkley enlisted as a private in the United States Army. Family records indicate he did not want to be known as of Mexican descent, for fear he would not see action at the front. He was assigned to Company A, 356th Infantry, Eighty-ninth Division. In France he was given the mission of swimming the Meuse River near Pouilly, in order to infiltrate German lines and gather information about the strength and deployment of German formations. Despite enemy resistance to any allied crossing of the Meuse, Barkley and another volunteer accomplished the mission. While returning with the information, Barkley developed cramps and drowned, on November 9, 1918, just two days before the armistice went into effect. His sacrifice earned praise from Gen. John J. Pershing , the commander of the American Expeditionary Force. Barkley was one of three Texans awarded the nation's highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, for service in World War I. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre (France) and the Croce Merito (Italy). In 1921 an elementary school in San Antonio was named for him. He lay in state at the Alamo , the second person to be so honored. He was buried at San Antonio National Cemetery. On January 10, 1941, the War Department named Camp Barkeley for the Texas hero.

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Benavides, Santos

1861

Santos Benavides, the highest ranking Mexican American to serve the Confederacy, the son of José Jesús and Margarita (Ramón) Benavides, was born in Laredo, Texas, on November 1, 1823. He was the great-great-grandson of Tomás Sánchez de la Barrera y Garza , the founder of Laredo. Benavides married Agustina Villareal in 1842, and the couple eventually adopted four children. As a political and military leader in Laredo, Benavides brought a traditionally isolated region closer to the mainstream of Texas politics while preserving a sense of local independence. His prominence in Laredo resulted initially from the influence of his uncle, Basilio Benavides , who was three times elected alcalde under Mexican rule, then mayor and state representative after annexation . Santos Benavides's success as a merchant and rancher also contributed to his selection as procurador in 1843, then to his election as mayor of Laredo in 1856 and chief justice of Webb County in 1859. He won further distinction as the leader of several campaigns against the Lipan Apaches and other Indians. Under both Mexican and American rule, his politics remained consistent. During the Federalist-Centralist wars that swept the Rio Grande frontier in the 1830s and 1840s, geographically isolated northern Mexico supported the Federalist cause of local autonomy against the Centralists, who wanted power focused in distant Mexico City. As a young man Benavides fought for the Federalists. Frustrated with the Mexican government, he cooperated with the forces of Mirabeau B. Lamar , which occupied Laredo during the Mexican War . Benavides joined his uncle in opposing the annexation of the Laredo area by the United States, as called for by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , because he feared it would compromise the independent character of northern Mexico. When Texas seceded, Benavides and his brothers supported the Confederacy, whose states'-rights principles were so close to their regionalism. Commissioned a captain in the Thirty-third Texas Cavalry (or Benavides' Regiment) and assigned to the Rio Grande Military District, Benavides quickly won accolades as a fighter. He drove Juan Cortina back into Mexico in the battle of Carrizo on May 22, 1861, and quelled other local revolts against Confederate authority. In November 1863 Benavides was promoted to colonel and authorized to raise his own regiment of "Partisan Rangers," for which he used the remnants of the Thirty-third. His greatest military triumph was his defense of Laredo on March 19, 1864, with forty-two troops against 200 soldiers of the Union First Texas Cavalry , commanded by Col. Edmund J. Davis , who had, ironically, offered Benavides a Union generalship earlier. Perhaps Benavides's most significant contribution to the South came when he arranged for safe passage of Texas cotton along the Rio Grande to Matamoros during the Union occupation of Brownsville in 1864. During Reconstruction he continued his mercantile and ranching activities with his brother Cristóbal Benavides and remained active in politics. In support of his son-in-law, Gen. Lázaro Garza Ayala, and Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, he was accused of using his rancho, Charcos Largo, as a supply depot for filibustering expeditions against Mexican president Porfirio Díaz. He served three times in the Texas legislature from 1879 to 1884 and twice as an alderman of Laredo. He was instrumental in the formation of the Guarache or citizen's party in South Texas, a faction of the Democratic party opposed to the powerful Botas ( see BOTAS AND GUARACHES ). His political affiliations indicated his continued belief in regional independence from national authority. His leadership built Democratic support among Hispanics in Webb County and contributed to the eclipse of the Republican party in the region. Benavides's friendship with the followers of Benito Juárez and his kinship ties to Manuel Gonzales prompted Porfirio Díaz to select him as an envoy to the United States during

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Cigarroa, Joaquin Gonzalez, Jr.

1954

Joaquin Gonzalez Cigarroa, Jr., physician, humanitarian, education advocate, and civic leader, was born in San Antonio, Texas, on May 5, 1924, to Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez Cigarroa, Sr., and Josefina Gonzalez de la Vega. During his childhood, his family moved to Laredo where he, his sister Rebeca, and brother Leonides attended public schools. As a young boy, Joaquin Jr. had a calling to be a doctor and accompanied his father on house calls. With a career in medicine in mind, he dedicated himself to his studies and graduated from Martin High School as valedictorian in 1941. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and then at the age of twenty-three graduated with honors from Harvard Medical School in 1947. He subsequently completed internships at the University of Chicago and the former Boston City Hospital between 1948 and 1951. Cigarroa also was a teaching fellow at Harvard before serving as first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in 1951, when he conducted seminal research in hepatitis in Kyoto, Japan, during the Korean War. Returning to Laredo in 1954, Cigarroa (affectionately referred to as Dr. Joaquin by those who knew him) started a medical practice alongside his father and brother at the Cigarroa Medical Clinic. During the next seven decades, he served not only as a physician who ministered to countless patients as a clinician, but also as a driving force in advancing medicine and education throughout the state of Texas. Colleagues and patients heralded him for his generosity and compassion, and Cigarroa helped establish several medical centers and served as chief of staff at Laredo’s Mercy Hospital for many years and on its board of trustees. He played a vital role in recruiting doctors to South Texas, an area that previously was underserved by physicians. As a member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for twelve years, his vision proved instrumental in expanding the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and establishing a dental school there as well as the approval for the UT Health Science Center in Houston . In Laredo, Cigarroa worked to facilitate access to higher education for every student regardless of background. In 1968 he and his brother Leo provided compelling testimony before the Texas legislature which led to Senate approval for the establishment of Texas A&M International University in Laredo. He served on the board of the Laredo Independent School District (LISD) for more than twenty-three years. LISD named the Cigarroa Middle School after him when it opened in 1983 in honor of his advancement of education for Laredo’s youth. He also worked to establish new degree programs at Laredo Community College. In recognition of his achievements and life of service, Cigarroa accrued many honors, including: Mr. South Texas, 1981; Laredo Times Man of the Year, 1992 and 1994; LULAC ’s Life Achievement Laureate, 1996; Humanitarian of the Year in 1999; Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Texas, 2002; election as a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas and as Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He was a longtime member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Laredo. Joaquin Cigarroa married Barbara Judith “Bobbie” Flores in 1954. They had ten children: Patricia, Barbara, Francisco, Ricardo, Jorge, Carlos, Gabriella, Joaquin, Maria Elena and Marisa. He and Bobbie encouraged each of their children to achieve their dreams through obtaining a higher education. “There’s nothing more beautiful than learning,” Dr. Joaquin expressed. His son Francisco Cigarroa, a pediatric transplant surgeon, former chancellor of the University of Texas System , and chair of the Ford Foundation’s board of trustees, recalled, “In shadowing my father as he made house calls, and seeing his love of his practice, I received a firsthand view not only of the beauty of the art of medicine, which has run through four generations in my family, but also how this art pro

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Things to Do in Laredo

day trip

Day Trip to Laredo 🌮 (FULL EPISODE) S8 E11

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Everything Near Laredo

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

The South Texas Weekend Barbacoa Ritual · Cultural Tradition
In South Texas, weekend mornings belong to barbacoa. Saturdays and Sundays, the line forms before the sun is fully up — at meat markets, taquerias, and family-run carnicerias from the Rio Grande Valley up through…
Santos Benavides · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
Santos Benavides, son of Jose Jesus and Marguerita Benavides and great-great grandson of Laredo founder Tomas Sanchez, was born in Laredo on November 1, 1823. He married Augustina Villareal in 1842. Benavides, appointed…
Bishop Peter Verdaguer · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, where Bishop Peter Verdaguer took up residence in 1891. Born in Spain, he studied in the U.S. and was ordained in San Francisco. He was tasked with caring for over 42,000 Catholics in a…
Refugio Benavides · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, passing the final resting place of Jose Del Refugio Benavides. He wasn't just a Laredo native and descendant of the city's founder; he was a key player in the 19th century. Benavides…
City Cemetery · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Laredo's City Cemetery, a place that's been a chronicle of the city's diversity since 1892. It started with four blocks dedicated by the city council, including sections for Catholic and Jewish…
Calvary Catholic Cemetery · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Laredo's fourth "camposanto," or holy ground. It took a while to get this place established, with efforts dating back to the 1880s hitting snags from politics, land deals,…
The Seven-Flag City and the Republic of the Rio Grande · 1.5 mi
Most people know Texas was under six flags, but Laredo is the 'City Under Seven Flags.' That seventh flag belonged to a country you've probably never heard of: the Republic of the Rio Grande. Back in 1840, the region…
Jovita Idár Stands Down the Texas Rangers · 1.5 mi
Imagine standing up to a force of armed men, all by yourself. That's what a 28-year-old woman named Jovita Idár did in Laredo in 1914. Idár, born right here in Laredo in 1885, was a journalist for 'El Progreso,' a…
The Engineered River of Commerce · 1.5 mi
As you drive around Laredo, you're seeing the components of a massive, finely tuned machine built for trade. The heart of this machine is the World Trade Bridge, an eight-lane engineering marvel designed exclusively for…
America's Biggest Washington's Birthday Party · 1.5 mi
Of all the places in America you’d expect to find the nation’s largest and oldest celebration of George Washington’s birthday, Laredo might not be the first to come to mind. But it’s true. Every February, the city…
The Cotton Road and the Battle of Laredo · 1.5 mi
During the American Civil War, the Union Navy blockaded Southern ports, hoping to starve the Confederacy of supplies. But the Confederacy had an escape route: Laredo. Cotton, the South's most valuable asset, was hauled…
San Bernardo Avenue · 1.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising down San Bernardo Avenue in Laredo, a road that's seen some serious transformation! Back in 1938, this was the San Antonio Highway, the main drag for travelers heading south. Laredo was marketing itself…

Show all 141 nearby places

La India Packing Company · 1.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of La India Packing Company, a Laredo institution since 1924. Started by Antonio and Antonia Rodriguez in their home, this family business preserved Mexican cuisine, selling everything from…
Laredo Air Force Base · 1.8 mi · Historical Marker
During World War I, Kelly Field (San Antonio), reached its peak training capacity and the U.S. Army built several auxiliary landing fields in South Texas, including one in Laredo north of Fort McIntosh. In 1940, as the…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Martin (Laredo) · 1.8 mi
Martin (Laredo, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Frankie Cantu (3 HR).
Zuniga House · 1.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Zuniga House in Laredo, a beautiful example of Prairie School architecture. Roberto Zuniga arrived here from Monterrey, Mexico, in 1916 and started a successful customs brokerage business. By…
Raymond and Tirza Martin High School · 1.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Raymond and Tirza Martin High School, a testament to Laredo's booming population in the 1930s. Funded by a bond and federal partnership, this massive school, designed with classical…
Deaf Smith · 1.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Deaf Smith. 500 yards northeast site of the battlefied where Erastus (Deaf) Smith, Captain of scouts of the Republic of Texas, and 21 Texans on March 17, 1837, had an encounter with a superior force…
Barkley, David Bennes · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
David Bennes Barkley, Medal of Honor recipient, was born, probably in 1899, to Josef and Antonia (Cantú) Barkley in Laredo, Texas. When the United States entered World War I , Barkley enlisted as a private in the United…
Benavides, Santos · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Santos Benavides, the highest ranking Mexican American to serve the Confederacy, the son of José Jesús and Margarita (Ramón) Benavides, was born in Laredo, Texas, on November 1, 1823. He was the great-great-grandson of…
Cigarroa, Joaquin Gonzalez, Jr. · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Joaquin Gonzalez Cigarroa, Jr., physician, humanitarian, education advocate, and civic leader, was born in San Antonio, Texas, on May 5, 1924, to Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez Cigarroa, Sr., and Josefina Gonzalez de la Vega.…
Laurel, Oscar Manuel Sr. · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in Laredo, you're driving past the legacy of Oscar Manuel Laurel Sr. When Laurel entered the Texas House of Representatives in 1957, he was one of only two Hispanic legislators in the entire state. Imagine…
Montemayor, Alice Dickerson · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here is where Alice Dickerson Montemayor faced down prejudice as a social worker in the 1930s. When she started in Webb County, she was denied an office key and had to work under…
Pérez, Jovita · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here is a story of a woman who broke barriers in business. Jovita Pérez, born near Randado in 1897, became the first Hispanic woman in Texas to hold a U.S. customs broker…
Republic of the Rio Grande · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, right near Laredo, where a bold, doomed experiment in nation-building kicked off in 1840. Fed up with Mexico City's central government, leaders from northern states declared their own…
Sager, Manuela Solís · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Laredo, where Manuela Solís Sager grew up. She was a fierce Tejana labor activist who, as a teenager, helped organize the 1928 Onion Strike right here. By the 1930s, she…
Tatangelo, Aldo J., Sr. · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that, for over eighty years, was ruled by a single political machine. But right here, in the late 1970s, a businessman named Aldo Tatangelo decided it was time for a change. He'd…
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving past Laredo, and right here, you're in the heart of a unique piece of baseball history. For nine years, this was home to Los Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos – the Owls of the Two Laredos. In 1985, this team…
Vergara, Clemente · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas right now, near Laredo, where a rancher named Clemente Vergara met a tragic end. In February of 1914, Vergara suspected Mexican troops had stolen eleven of his horses from an island in…
Washington's Birthday Celebration · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here, they've been celebrating George Washington's birthday for over a century! It started way back in 1898, not just as a party, but as a way to boost American patriotism on the…
Zachry, Henry Bartell · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, perhaps near Laredo, where Henry 'Pat' Zachry got his start. He was an engineer who dreamed of being a rancher, but World War I changed his path. He ended up as a Webb County…
La Cruz Blanca (Constitucionalista/Nacional) · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, Texas, right on the border. Back in 1913, as the Mexican Revolution raged, Leonor Villegas de Magnón saw a need. When Mexican troops attacked across the river in Nuevo Laredo, she didn't…
Laredo, TX · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that started as a bold Spanish settlement way back in 1755. Tomás Sánchez de la Barrera y Garza was given the green light by José de Escandón to establish this town, making it the…
Idar, Nicasio · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Nicasio Idar, newspaper editor and publisher and civil-rights advocate, was born in Point Isabel, Texas, in 1855, either on December 11 or 14, the son of Manuel and Eleuteria Espinoza Idar. He moved to Laredo in 1880…
Benavides, Basilio · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Webb County, near Laredo, where Basilio Benavides lived a life deeply tied to this border region. Born in 1800, he was a Tejano who served in the Texas House of Representatives. But his life was…
Benavides, Cristobal · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Webb County, near Laredo, where Cristóbal Benavides fought to defend this very area during the Civil War. On March 19, <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1864</say-as>, he led Tejanos against…
Benavides, Refugio · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Laredo, and right here, José del Refugio Benavides was a key player in Texas's Civil War border conflicts. Born in Laredo, Benavides was a descendant of the founder of the city. He rose to captain in…
Berlandier, Jean Louis · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, perhaps near Laredo, and you might be passing the very ground where a pioneering naturalist once walked. Jean Louis Berlandier, a Swiss scientist, arrived in Mexico in 1826, tasked…
Cigarroa, Leonides González · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that owes a lot to Dr. Leonides González Cigarroa. Though born in Mexico, he moved here as a teen and volunteered at Mercy Hospital, dreaming of surgery. After medical school and…
Gonzales, Dario · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city with a history of political feuds as heated as any Texas summer. Right here, Dario Gonzales was a key player in the late 1800s. He started as a Civil War soldier and sheriff, but…
Holding Institute · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here is the site of the Holding Institute. Originally founded as Laredo Seminary in 1880 by the Methodist Church, its mission was to educate Mexican children. For over a century,…
Independent Club · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, the heart of Webb County, where for over eighty years, one political machine held sway: the Independent Club. Born in 1894 from local rivalries, it was known as the 'Old Party.' Imagine a…
Jarvis, Samuel Matthias · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo right now, a city where the street names tell a story. Back in the late 1800s, Samuel Jarvis, a former filibuster and Mexican War veteran, took charge as mayor. He was a no-nonsense guy,…
Mexican Revolution · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas right now, a region that became a hotbed for the Mexican Revolution. Back in 1910, Porfirio Díaz, Mexico's long-time president, faced a serious challenge from Francisco Madero. When…
Penn, James Saunders · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that saw its share of political drama thanks to James Saunders Penn. Penn founded the Laredo Times in 1881, and he wasn't afraid to stir the pot. He went head-to-head with the…
Republic of the Rio Grande Museum · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo right now, and you're passing a building with a wild past. Built in the 1830s, this sandstone and adobe structure at 1005 Zaragoza Street was once the intended capitol for the Republic of…
San Agustin Cathedral, Laredo · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here, you're passing the site of San Agustín Cathedral, a church that's been serving this community since 1760. It started as a simple chapel, built by the settlers themselves…
Sánchez, Antonio Rodolfo, Sr. · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that Antonio Rodolfo Sánchez, Sr. helped shape. Born here in 1916, he came from a family that lost wealth after the Mexican Revolution, forcing him to quit school and even collect…
Sanchez, Dario · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city with deep roots, and right here you're passing through a place shaped by men like Darío Sánchez. Sánchez served as mayor in the late 1800s, pushing for a cleaner city with new…
Solorzano, Francisco E. · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, where Francisco Solórzano brought professional theater to life right here, back in the early 1900s. Imagine this: in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1910</say-as>, Solórzano's…
Treviño, Vidal Manuel · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here is a community that owes much to Vidal Manuel Treviño. A Korean War veteran and educator, Treviño dedicated over forty years to shaping young minds in Laredo. He rose…
Vielé, Egbert Ludovicus · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Laredo, where Egbert Ludovicus Vielé found himself in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1849</say-as>. He was ordered to establish a military camp here, riding upriver…
Villegas, Quintín · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that owes much of its early prosperity to merchants like Quintín Villegas. Born in Spain in 1850, Villegas came to Texas in 1870, joining his brother Joaquín in Corpus Christi. By…
Webb County · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Webb County, right on the border. This land has been home to people for perhaps 11,000 years, but it was the Spanish who first established a permanent settlement here. In 1755, Tomás Sánchez de la…
Leyendecker, John Zirvas · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Laredo, and you might be passing by a place connected to John Zirvas Leyendecker. Born in Germany in 1827, he arrived in Fredericksburg in 1846. But Leyendecker's story…
Ligarde, Honoré · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here is a town that sent a local hero, Honoré Ligarde, off to World War II. Enlisting in late 1941, Ligarde became a navigator aboard a B-25 Mitchell bomber. He flew fifty combat…
Arambula, Odilon [Odie] · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here is a place that was home to Odilon "Odie" Arambula. For decades, Odie was the voice of Laredo history for the Laredo Morning Times, writing Sunday columns called "Visiting…
Bruni Plaza · 2.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Bruni Plaza, a gathering spot in Laredo for over 250 years. It started as the city's central plaza back in 1767, a place for public meetings and corralling cattle during Spanish colonial times. By…
Texas Mexican Railway · 2.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Laredo, a city that exploded in population thanks to a railroad that got its start way back in the 1850s. Initially planned as the Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Railroad, it struggled for funding…
Camp, Lafayette Berry [Red] · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Red Camp, jazz pianist, was born Lafayette Berry Camp on December 8, 1909, in Laredo, Texas. Inspired by recordings of Louis Armstrong and his pianist Earl Hines, he showed an interest in piano in high school and…
Congreso Mexicanista · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
The Congreso Mexicanista, sometimes referred to as El Primer Congreso Mexicanista, met in Laredo from September 14 to 22, 1911. Clemente Idar , whose family owned and published La Crónica , proposed the meeting to…
Fort McIntosh · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Fort McIntosh, on the Rio Grande near Laredo, was established in the aftermath of the Mexican War and abandoned after World War II . American occupation of the former Spanish presidio dates from the arrival in November…
Idar, Eduardo · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Eduardo Idar, journalist and civil-rights activist, was born in Laredo, Texas, on July 27, 1887, to Jovita (Vivero) and Nicasio Idar . He was at least a third generation Tejano. He married Irene Guerra in 1917, and they…
Atlee, Edwin Augustus · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, where Edwin Augustus Atlee made his mark. Born in Tennessee, Atlee came to Texas in 1873, first teaching in Corpus Christi before moving here to Laredo in 1879. He served as mayor for…
Salinas, Agustín, Sr. · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that owes much of its early political landscape to Agustín Salinas, Sr. Born around 1837, Salinas was more than just a merchant and cattle rancher; he was a key player in local…
Thaison, Andrew Hans · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city that owes a lot to Danish immigrant Andrew Hans Thaison. He arrived in Texas in 1875, tried farming, then brickmaking in Austin. But in 1881, he came to Laredo and set up the Laredo…
Verdaguer, Peter · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, you're passing through the territory once led by Bishop Peter Verdaguer. Born in Spain in 1835, he came to Texas in 1891 to lead the Vicariate Apostolic of…
Villegas, Leopoldo · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, a city with deep roots in commerce and civic duty. Right here, Leopoldo Villegas, a merchant and attorney, served as mayor from 1922 to 1926. During his time in office, he kicked off a…
Benavides, José Jesús · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near Laredo, where José Jesús Benavides lived his entire life. Born around 1802, he was a descendant of Laredo's founder and a prominent rancher with extensive land holdings. In 1835,…
Ortiz, Luis R. · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, the heart of Webb County, where Luis R. Ortiz built a life of influence. Born in 1858, Ortiz came from a prominent ranching family and received an impressive education, studying business…
Villarreal de Benavides, Agustina · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Agustina Villarreal de Benavides, Tejana landowner, wife of Santos Benavides , and mother of four adopted children, was born on August 29, 1822, in Laredo, Texas, to Lino Villarreal and Josefa Flores. She came from a…
Campbell, Robert Douglas · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here in Laredo, a Presbyterian minister named Robert Douglas Campbell dedicated his life to serving the Spanish-speaking population. Arriving in 1900, Campbell, with his…
Pratt, Henry Barrington · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Laredo, and right here, Henry Barrington Pratt established a unique Bible Training School for Christian Workers. <break time="400ms"/> From 1896 to 1899, Pratt trained converts to become…
Tienda de Cuervo, José · 2.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, in what is now Laredo, you're passing through history. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1757</say-as>, a Spanish official named José Tienda de Cuervo was…
Barrio Azteca Historic District · 2.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over for a moment and imagine Laredo in the late 1800s. This area, known as Barrio Azteca, was booming. From the 1870s onward, families built homes here, representing a mix of architectural styles that reflected…
Webb County · 2.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Webb County, a region carved out of Nueces County way back in 1848. It's named for James Webb, a key figure in the Republic of Texas, serving as attorney general and secretary of state. The county…
Jarvis Plaza · 2.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Jarvis Plaza in Laredo, a place that's served the city for over a century. This spot is named for Samuel Matthias Jarvis, a New York native who came south with General Zachary Taylor's army during…
The Laredo National Bank · 2.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, a city that shifted from ranching to a booming mercantile economy in the late 1800s. This change, fueled by railroads and new immigrants, led John King Beretta to open a private bank in…
Laredo Fire Department · 2.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Laredo's first fire department, organized way back in 1883 as the Gate City Volunteer Fire Department. It started with just two men and two hose carts, struggling without city support for…
Adrian Quesada · 2.4 mi
You've heard him even if you don't know the name. Adrian Quesada grew up in Laredo — three and a half hours from Austin, a world unto itself — and picked up a guitar at thirteen, classical and flamenco before he ever…
Laredo, TX · 2.4 mi
Founded in 1755, Laredo has a rich history that includes being the capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande. In 1840, it was the capital of the independent Republic of the Rio Grande, set up in opposition…
Laredo - Where the Camino Crossed the Rio Grande · 2.4 mi · National Historic Trail
Laredo is older than the United States, older than Mexican independence, older than the idea of a border between Texas and anywhere else. Tomas Sanchez de la Barrera y Garza founded it in 1755 for the Spanish crown, at…
Holding Institute (Laredo Seminary) · 2.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Holding Institute, a school with a long history of educating young women, and later men, on the Texas-Mexico border. Founded in 1880 as Laredo Seminary by Methodist missionaries, it…
Laredo's Washington's Birthday Celebration · 2.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, where a tradition started way back in 1898 by a group called the Improved Order of Red Men. They wanted to celebrate George Washington's birthday with a big festival – think mock battles,…
Juan Francisco FarÃas Residence · 2.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Juan Francisco Farías Residence in Laredo, a home with roots stretching back to July of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1840</say-as>. This house wasn't just a family home for five…
City Hall and Market House · 2.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Laredo's historic City Hall and Market House, a testament to the city's late 19th-century boom. After railroads connected Laredo to both the U.S. and Mexico in the early 1880s, the population…
Benavides-Herrera House · 2.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Benavides-Herrera House in Laredo, a fine example of Mexican vernacular architecture built around 1879. Rancher Natividad Herrera built this home for his wife, Ester Benavides de Herrera, on land…
A warning in two directions · 2.5 mi
Laredo was founded in 1755 at San Agustin Plaza, a few hundred yards from the Rio Grande. La Llorona has functioned here as a cautionary tale in two directions: warning children against being out after dark, and warning…
Parallels to the story of Medea · 2.5 mi
Both sides of the Rio Grande borderland tell La Llorona stories, often set on the river itself. The Handbook of Texas entry by folklorist John O. West traces her New World history to the era of Cortes and links her to…
Republic of the Rio Grande Museum · 2.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over for a second – this unassuming building was once the capitol of a nation you’ve probably never heard of! This is the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum. In 1840, a group of citizens from the Mexican states of…
Laredo - Republic of the Rio Grande · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
For 283 days in 1840, Laredo was the capital of its own country. The Republic of the Rio Grande was a separatist state carved out of northern Mexico by federalists who opposed the centralist government of President…
Republic of the Rio Grande · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a short-lived nation: the Republic of the Rio Grande. In 1840, Federalists declared independence from Mexico City's Centralists, with Laredo as their capital. But their dream lasted only…
Benavides Brothers · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, the historic home of the Benavides brothers. These three brothers, Santos, Refugio, and Cristobal, were key figures in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Santos even rose to the…
La Llorona · 2.5 mi
La Llorona, the weeping woman, is described by the Handbook of Texas as perhaps the most widely known ghost in Texas. In the legend a woman drowns her children after being abandoned by a man above her station, and is…
San Agustin de Laredo Historic District · 2.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time to the heart of Laredo, where Texas history began! This is the San Agustin de Laredo Historic District, the original town founded by Don Tomás Sánchez in 1755. During the Mexican-American War, Laredo…
Casa Vidaurri · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising past Casa Vidaurri, built in 1874 by none other than Texas military leader Santos Benavides. This place was granted by Spain and has been owned by descendants of Eulalio Benavides since he bought it in…
Laredo Election Riot, 1886 · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Laredo, where elections have been rowdy since 1767. In 1886, the annual vote turned violent between the Guaraches and the Botas. After a Bota councilman was killed, tensions boiled over. The…
Casa Ortiz · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Casa Ortiz, a home that's been in the same family for five generations. It stands on land originally granted by the King of Spain to Jose Reyes Ortiz, a merchant who served as a go-between for Mexico…
Capitol of the Republic of the Rio Grande · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Capitol of the Republic of the Rio Grande. Federalists opposed to regime of Santa Anna in Mexico City were headed by Jesus Cardenas as president. Recruited aid in Texas, won victories in Mexico,…
Laredo Telephone Exchange · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, and just a few years after the first telephone patent, this building housed the city's very first telephone exchange. Opened in 1884, it connected both Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, with wires…
Leyendecker House · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Leyendecker House, built in 1866 by John Z. Leyendecker, a prominent merchant and civic leader who settled in Laredo after arriving from Germany. This home, designed in the "Mudejar" (Moorish)…
St. Augustine Parochial School · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of St. Augustine Parochial School, a Gothic Revival building designed by architect Luis Fuessel. Funded and planned by the Oblate fathers and parish priest Rev. Jesús Prieto, it opened in…
The RamÃ³n Family · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past The RamÃ³n Family. The Ramón Family Engaged in much of Laredo's early history, the Ramón family occupied residential property at this site by 1869. Patriarch of the family was Ildefonso…
Saint Peter the Apostle Catholic Church · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Saint Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Laredo. This congregation, the second Catholic church in town, started in 1897 specifically to serve non-Spanish speaking families who had recently arrived.…
Biggio-Kowalski-De La Garza House · 2.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, and right here is a house that's seen a century of Laredo life. Built in 1909 for Chester C. Biggio, the city's first fire chief, this home was designed in the classic American Foursquare…
August C. and Julia Richter Mansion · 2.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the grand mansion built in 1906 for August C. Richter and his wife, Julia. Richter, who moved to Laredo in 1888, owned the popular department store 'El Precio Fijo.' Julia was a key figure in the…
Fort McIntosh · 2.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Fort McIntosh, a frontier post that served Texas for nearly a century. Established in 1849 as Camp Crawford, it was renamed for Lt. Col. James S. McIntosh, a hero of the Mexican War. For…
I-35 Purple Heart Trail — The Border Start · 2.9 mi · Verified Web
Every mile of Interstate 35 in Texas is part of the national Purple Heart Trail. The Texas designation runs from the international border in Laredo all the way to the Oklahoma line — almost five hundred miles, the…
Fort McIntosh Barracks · 2.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the last remaining barracks of old Fort McIntosh, built by the U.S. Army back in 1880. These brick walls once quartered soldiers on scouting and escort duty along the Rio Grande. Imagine the troops…
Fort McIntosh, Texas · 3.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Right here, along the Rio Grande, lies ground that once echoed with the sounds of soldiers and the promise of a protected frontier. Fort McIntosh played a vital role in shaping this region. Established in 1849 as Camp…
El Paso de Jacinto · 3.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, heading towards the Rio Grande. Look for signs of an ancient crossing known as El Paso de Jacinto. Around <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1746</say-as>, a man named Jacinto de Leon…
Pvt. David Bennes Cantu Barkley · 3.1 mi · Historical Marker
Born in Laredo on March 31, 1899, David Bennes Cantu Barkley was the son of Josef Barkley, a career Army man stationed at Fort McIntosh, and Antonia Cantu. After the birth of David's sister Amelia, the family moved to…
Larga Vista, TX · 3.8 mi
Larga Vista, once a census-designated place, has a history of transformation. It first appeared in the 2000 U.S. census with a population of 742, but by 2010, it had become surrounded by Laredo, leading to the loss of…
Radcliffe Killam · 4.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Laredo, passing the legacy of Radcliffe Killam. Born in Oklahoma in 1910, he came to South Texas with his parents, who prospected for oil. After graduating from Harvard Law, Killam returned to…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: United (Laredo) · 4.2 mi
United (Laredo, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Hector Cadena (0.425 avg, 5 HR).
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: United South (Laredo) · 4.2 mi
United South (Laredo, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Roman Martinez (4 HR); Juan P Briseno (0.421 avg, 2 HR); Gerardo Alvarez (0.410 avg).
You Are No Jack Kennedy: The Bentsen Highway · 9.7 mi
U.S. Highway Fifty Nine, from Interstate Forty Five to Interstate Thirty Five, is the Senator Lloyd Bentsen Highway, named by the Legislature in nineteen ninety five. Bentsen was born in Mission in nineteen twenty one…
Building a Town from Scratch · 11.5 mi
As you pass the homes in Rio Bravo, look closely. Many didn't start as professionally built houses. They started as simple structures, built by the hands of the families who lived in them. This is the legacy of Rio…
From Water Barrels to Water Taps · 11.5 mi
For decades, the biggest challenge in Rio Bravo wasn't just poverty; it was a public health crisis rooted in a lack of infrastructure. Without a water system, residents stored water in barrels, creating breeding grounds…
The Fight for City Hall · 11.5 mi
For its first several years, Rio Bravo wasn't technically a town at all. The community was laid out in 1982 by a property developer named Cecil McDonald, who also started neighboring El Cenizo — subdivisions sold off in…
Laredo's Road for the Forgotten War · 12.2 mi
From Laredo to Falfurrias, State Highways Three Fifty Nine, Sixteen and Two Eighty Five together form the Veterans of the Korean War Memorial Highway. The idea came from Webb County. A veterans group there, along with…
The Town That Spoke Spanish · 12.3 mi
Imagine being elected to run a city where most of your citizens—and even your fellow council members—don't speak English. That was the reality in El Cenizo, a tiny town that had incorporated back in 1989 and spent the…
The Tiny Town That Sued Texas · 12.3 mi
In 2017, a legal battle of David-versus-Goliath proportions began right here in El Cenizo. The Texas Legislature had just passed Senate Bill 4, a controversial law forcing local police to act as immigration agents. Many…
From Dust and Mud to a City · 12.3 mi
As you drive on these paved streets, try to picture them as they were not so long ago: rutted dirt tracks that turned to impassable mud when it rained. El Cenizo began as a 'colonia,' a rural subdivision lacking the…
The Engineering of Clean Water · 12.3 mi
For the first residents of El Cenizo, one of the most difficult daily challenges was water. As a 'colonia,' the community had no centralized water system. Families relied on individual, often shallow and contaminated…
El Cenizo, TX · 12.3 mi
El Cenizo's founding can be traced back to its incorporation in 1989, which signified its formal establishment as a city. Prior to this, it existed informally as an impoverished colonia, indicating a transformation from…
Ranchos Penitas West, TX · 12.7 mi
Ranchos Penitas West first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2000 U.S. census. Prior to the 2010 census, the Los Minerales CDP was carved out from its territory. This CDP lost area in the changes in Webb…
How the Purple Heart Trail Grew Across Texas · 13.2 mi
This highway is part of the Purple Heart Trail, a symbolic trail that runs through all fifty states to honor those killed or wounded in combat while serving in the armed forces. In Texas it started with one road. In two…
A Star in the Window, a Marker by the Road · 13.2 mi
This road carries a Blue Star Memorial Highway designation, one of a string of them across Texas. The name comes from a family tradition. When someone in a household was serving in the armed forces, the family displayed…
Alberca de Arriba Ranch · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, not far from Mirando City, on land that was once the Alberca de Arriba Ranch. Founded in 1830 by Valentín de las Fuentes and his wife Tomasa de la Peña, this ranch sprang up around…
Mexican and Indian Raid of 1878 · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near the Rio Grande, and you can almost feel the tension of April 1878. <break time="400ms"/> For six days, a band of about forty Mexicans and Native Americans swept across the…
Darwin, TX · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Darwin was on Farm Road 1472 and Santo Tomas Creek near the bank of the Rio Grande in northwestern Webb County. In the late nineteenth century the coal mining town of Darwin (originally called Cannel) was one of four…
Los Ojuelos, TX · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Los Ojuelos, or Ojuelos, is on Farm Road 649 some 2½ miles south of Mirando City near the southeastern corner of Webb County. Centuries before Spanish settlers arrived, Indians camped on the site, one of the few…
Minera, TX · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
With the large-scale mining of coal in Webb County in the latter part of nineteenth century, four mining towns, Santo Tomas, Minera, Dolores (San Jose), and Darwin (Cannel), jointly known as "Las Minas," developed…
Palafox Villa · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
The Villa de San José de Palafox (Palafos, Palafoz) was an unsuccessful settlement on land that the Spanish crown granted to Mexican settlers during the early nineteenth century. According to documents once contained in…
Santo Tomas, TX · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
Santo Tomás was a coal-mining town twenty-seven miles upstream from Laredo and about three-quarters of a mile from the banks of the Rio Grande in west central Webb County. The town was located on land originally granted…
Antimony Smelter · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving north of Laredo, and right here, in what is now Webb County, stood the largest antimony smelter in the world back in 1945. This massive industrial plant was a key player in the U.S. effort to break free…
Rio Grande and Pecos Railway · 18.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, the Rio Grande and Pecos Railway Company was born in 1882. Its mission? To build 500 miles from Brownsville up the Rio Grande. But its real purpose was more specific:…
Dionicio Guerra Family Cemetery · 18.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving near Mirando City, in Webb County. This is the Dionicio Guerra Family Cemetery, established around 1878. It's recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery.
Coal Mining in Las Minas: San Tomas Coal Field · 19.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the area once known as Las Minas, a collection of mining towns that sprung up around the Santo Tomas coal field. From 1881 to 1939, this cannel coal fueled Laredo's explosive growth, contributing…
Site of Darwin Community · 19.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Darwin, a Texas ghost town that boomed and busted with the coal industry. Spanish explorers knew about coal here, but it was Welsh engineer David Darwin Davis who really got things going.…

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History of Laredo

The Seven-Flag City and the Republic of the Rio Grande RoadyGoat

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The Engineered River of Commerce RoadyGoat

Pvt. David Bennes Cantu Barkley

Santos Benavides

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Barkley, David Bennes

Benavides, Santos

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