South Padre Island, Texas

Name: South Padre Island, Texas
Address: South Padre Island, TX

Everything South Padre Island is known for

29 songs mention this city

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

Music in South Padre Island

Songs About South Padre Island

The Wanna Wanna Bar

Owen Temple

96%

"The Wanna Wanna Bar"

Wanna Wanna Bar

Owen Temple

92%

"Wanna Wanna Bar"

South Padre

Wade Reeves

80%

"Song about South Padre Island"

Somewhere Between Texas And Mexico

Pat Green

52%

"South Padre Island to the Brownsville Bay"

Padre Island

Ron Wilkins

24%

"TITLE"

Merry Christmas from Texas, y’all

Tracy Byrd

24%

"From South Padre up to Pampa"

Padre Island

Shimek

23%

"Padre Island"

Gulf Coast Girl

Caroline Jones

22%

"on the beach in South Padre"

my kind of day on padre

gary p. nunn

22%

"my kind of day on padre"

Thank God It's Padre

Stevie Start

22%

"TITLE"

Padre Island

A'shon Curry

21%

"Padre Island"

My Kinda Day On Padre

Larry Joe Taylor

21%

"My Kinda Day On Padre"

Spilled Whiskey

Josh Ward

20%

"Sitting at a bar in San Padre"

Drunk Girl

Rich O'Toole

19%

"I met her down on South Padre"

Padre Island

Bastiaan M. Drees

19%

"TITLE"

Some Beach

Blake Shelton

18%

"Singing Margaritaville and minding my own"

Knee Deep

Zac Brown Band

17%

"Knee deep in the water somewhere"

Boat Drinks

Jimmy Buffett

17%

"Then I'm headin' south 'fore my dream shrinks"

Float

Jarrod Morris

17%

"Palm trees swaying, margaritas day drinking"

Margaritaville

Jimmy Buffett

16%

"Wastin' away again in Margaritaville"

Showing top 20 of 29 songs · Hear more in the free iPhone app

Artists From South Padre Island

No artists from South Padre Island in the database yet.

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Rivers & Roads in Song near South Padre Island

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near South Padre Island.

Rio Grande / Río Bravo 162 songs Rio Grande / Río Bravo 249 songs

History of South Padre Island

The Night the Bridge Fell RoadyGoat

The bridge you just crossed, the Queen Isabella Causeway, is the island's lifeline. But in the early hours of September 15, 2001, that lifeline was severed. A towboat pushing four barges lost control in the currents and slammed one of the barges into a support column of the bridge. A 160-foot section of the roadway instantly collapsed. In the darkness, unsuspecting drivers heading off the island drove straight into the gap, plunging eighty-five feet into the Laguna Madre below. Three people were rescued, but eight others lost their lives. The disaster physically and emotionally isolated the island. For over two months, residents and workers relied on a ferry system while the bridge was repaired. It was a tragic event that underscored the island's dependence on its single connection to the mainland and remains a somber chapter in its modern history.

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The Lost Treasure Fleet of 1554 RoadyGoat

Just off the coast of the island you're on lies the scene of a 16th-century catastrophe. In April 1554, a fleet of four Spanish ships loaded with treasure from the New World sailed for Spain. Off Padre Island, up toward what is now the Mansfield Cut, a storm caught them. Three of the four — the Santa Maria de Yciar, the Espiritu Santo, and the San Esteban — were smashed by the waves and sank. About three hundred people were aboard, and perhaps half to two-thirds of them drowned before reaching the beach. The ones who made it ashore started walking south for Mexico, and that walk turned into a death march; only one man, Fray Marcos de Mena, is known to have reached Panuco alive. For four hundred years the cargo lay on the seafloor. In the 1960s salvors began recovering silver and gold, cannons, crossbows and astrolabes. Many of those artifacts are now on display at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, a tangible link to a dramatic moment in the Age of Exploration.

RoadyGoat →

The Turtle Lady of South Padre RoadyGoat

One of South Padre's most beloved stories began in the 1960s with a woman named Ila Loetscher. Iowa's first licensed woman pilot and a friend of Amelia Earhart, she came down here after her husband died and became fascinated by the sea turtles — particularly the Kemp's ridley, the most endangered sea turtle in the world. Seeing them threatened by fishing nets and development, she took action. Starting in 1966 she helped bring Kemp's ridley eggs up from Mexico to be protected on this beach, and she nursed sick and injured turtles back to health in her own backyard, which earned her the nickname 'The Turtle Lady.' Her passion was infectious. She put on shows with her 'pet' turtles to educate the public — she even took one on Carson and Letterman — and her small, personal project grew and grew. In 1977 she founded what is now Sea Turtle, Inc., a world-renowned hospital and conservation center right here on the island. It's a powerful reminder of how one person's dedication can change the fate of an entire species.

RoadyGoat →

Loetscher, Ila Marie Fox [Turtle Lady]

1966

Ila Marie Fox Loetscher, known as the "Turtle Lady," one of the first female pilots in the United States, a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, and a conservationist celebrated for her work with Kemp's ridley sea turtles, was born on October 30, 1904, to Charles Irwin Fox and Eliza Ann (Sharr) Fox in Callendar, Iowa. Her siblings included her older brother Ray, her twin sister Olive, and younger twin brothers, Kenneth and Keith. The 1910 census listed the family still living in Callendar, Iowa, where her father was a physician. By 1920 the family had moved to Pella, Iowa, where she graduated from high school and attended Central College. She later transferred to the University of Iowa and received her bachelor of arts degree in 1928. While working as a recreational director in Davenport, Iowa, Ila Fox developed an interest in aviation and began taking flying lessons. She also did promotional aviation work at the airport in nearby Moline, Illinois. On September 1, 1929, she became a licensed pilot and was the first licensed woman pilot in Iowa and Illinois. Amelia Earhart soon invited her to become a charter member of an organization meant to support female pilots; the group eventually became known as the Ninety-Nines, representing the ninety-nine charter members. Ila Marie Fox married David L. Loetscher, an engineer, in Pella, Iowa, on June 8, 1933. They had no children. The 1940 U. S. census recorded the couple in Bridgewater, New Jersey, where David Loetscher worked as a chemical engineer. They still resided there in 1950, and the census listed Ila Loetscher as a comptometer operator for a railroad company. Her husband died in 1955. After the death of her husband, Ila Fox Loetscher moved from Somerville, New Jersey, to stay with her parents at their winter home in Pharr, Texas. She quickly fell in love with nearby South Padre Island and decided to move there. While in Texas, Loetscher became aware of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, an endangered species that hatched on a specific stretch of Mexican beach along the Gulf of Mexico. In an interview that was published in a feature in the San Antonio Express-News in 1975, she recalled that Dearl Adams, head of the Valley Sportsmen's Club, first asked her to accompany him, along with his wife Ethel and other volunteers, on an annual trip to collect the turtle eggs in 1966. With the cooperation of the Mexican government, the group drove back and forth between the nesting grounds of Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, and South Padre Beach to transport the eggs of Kemp's ridley sea turtles away from poachers in Mexico to safer beaches. During the next forty-eight to sixty-two days, they stood guard and made sure that the turtles hatched and successfully waddled back into the ocean. Overall they helped more than 1,000 sea turtles make their way into the water. These turtles always return to lay eggs where they originally hatched. The turtles, used for both food and leather, are most vulnerable to predators in shallow water and while on land. In Mexico, turtle eggs were gathered and sold as culinary delicacies. As a result, by moving the eggs to South Padre Beach, Loetscher helped allow the turtles to hatch and protect them from returning to unsafe beaches as adults. The first Kemp's ridley sea turtle known to return to South Padre Beach came to lay her eggs in May 1974. By the early 1970s Ila Loetscher was well-known throughout South Texas for her advocacy and care of sea turtles. She kept injured turtles in her house and averaged 100 visitors a week. Children referred to her as the "Turtle Lady"-a nickname that became synonymous with her mission. As of 1975 she was the only private individual who was permitted by both state and federal agencies to hold sea turtles in captivity. In 1976 volunteers determined that a turtle rookery had definitely been established on South Padre. In 1977 Loetscher formed the nonprofit Sea Turtle, Inc. Her home served as a semi-official rescue center and

Tsha Handbook →

Brazos Santiago, C.S.A.

1861

Brazos Santiago Pass, to south of this spot, was important Confederate harbor-entry during the Civil War. On island across the pass were fort and town of Brazos Santiago, where on Feb. 21, 1861, Texas troops under Col. John S. Ford captured the U.S. depot with mortars, siege guns and ordnance. A Confederate battery was then set up. In March 1861, off the bar, on U.S.S. "Daniel Webster", E.B. Nichols and Maj. Fitzjohn Porter, acting for Texas and the U.S., arranged Federal evacuation of the Rio Grande. Blockade ships arrived Dec. 1861. Col. Ford shifted forces to Brownsville. Gen. J.B. Magruder, C.S.A., ordered blasting of lighthouse north of pass, 1862. Trade vital to Confederacy plied from Cuba, Europe, Asia to Bagdad, Mexico, often actually slipping into Brazos Santiago Pass. Harbor sheltered blockade runners 1861-64. On May 10, 1863, U.S.S. "Brooklyn" destroyed schooners in the harbor. Late 1863, French warships banned war material in Bagdad, and Mexican steam lighters ran guns from sea vessels into Brazos Santiago. Nov. 2, 1863, Gen. N.P. Banks landed U.S. Army here, took line of Rio Grande forts. Refortified Brazos Island and made it terminus for Army railroad to Rancho Blanco on Rio Grande. When C.S.A. retook Rio Grande Line in 1864, Federals in Brownsville were thrown back to Brazos Island. Col. Theodore H. Barrett, with troops from here, marching on Brownsville in May 1865, was confronted by Col. Ford's Confederates at Palmito Hill and fought last engagement of the Civil War.

Historical Marker → · 3.6 mi away

Brazos Santiago Pass and Brazos Island Military Depot

1836

Named by the Spanish, Brazos Santiago Pass is a narrow passageway extending inward from the sea. The pass lies between Brazos Island and Padre Island. The changing depths of the pass channel kept large vessels from entering, but offered seclusion to smaller ships. The entire area proved strategically important in a variety of military conflicts. Brazos Santiago harbor became part of the Texas revolution when the Texas warship "Invincible" heavily damaged the Mexican warship "Bravo" in April 1836. Supplies bound for the Mexican Army did not reach their destination. In 1846, U. S. Army General Zachary Taylor set up a military depot at the mouth of Brazos Santiago Pass on Brazos Island. during the war with Mexico, thousands of volunteers were encamped here, awaiting transfer to other locations. In February 1861, the U. S. Army surrendered the depot to forces of the stat eof Texas prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. Federal soldiers landed unopposed in 1863 at Brazos Island, taking Fort Brown and Brownsville, only to abandon them less than a year later. In May 1865, the last battle of the Civil War was fought at nearby Palmito Ranch. The depot was abandoned following hurricane damage in 1867. (1996)

Historical Marker → · 3.6 mi away

Port of Matamoros

1824

The Port of Matamoros was established in 1824. Commercial cargo, shipped mainly from New Orleans and other U.S. ports, was unloaded at the port and transported overland to Matamoros, Reynosa, Camargo, Monterrey, and Mier. Mexico maintained a garrison and at least one Navy vessel at the port. This area was the site of numerous naval encounters between the U.S. and Mexico in 1836-37, during and after the Texas Revolution. Jurisdiction over the port was finally settled in 1846 when forces of U.S. General Zachary Taylor occupied the area at the outset of the Mexican War.

Historical Marker → · 3.7 mi away

South Padre Island, TX

1954

South Padre Island is a resort community on Park Road 100 at the southernmost tip of Padre Island in Cameron County. It is flanked on three sides by the Gulf of Mexico, Brazos Santiago Pass, and the Laguna Madre . Brownsville is eighteen miles southwest. The history of the southern part of Padre Island dates from Spanish exploration in the sixteenth century. From the late nineteenth century into the 1950s the only way to reach the area was by ferry. The island had become a resort during the mid-nineteenth century but was not developed until the 1950s after the completion of the Queen Isabella Causeway, now the Queen Isabella State Fishing Pier . A $2.2 million swing bridge connecting Port Isabel to South Padre Island was completed in February 1954. The small prosperity the area gained was partly stifled in 1967 by Hurricane Beulah, which destroyed much of Port Isabel, the gateway to the island, as well as the town of South Padre Island. In 1978 South Padre Island had a population estimated at 314. Ten years later it had an estimated 1,012 residents and 111 businesses. Its main industry is tourism; peak seasons are late winter, spring, and summer. The community, in which many of the businesses and private homes are owned by foreigners, caters to an international clientele and, during Spring Break, to college students from the entire United States. Most of the businesses are related to the tourist trade-hotels, restaurants, condominiums, and souvenir shops. In 1990 South Padre Island had a population of 1,677 and 109 businesses. The population was 2,422 with 243 businesses in 2000.

Tsha Handbook →

Port Isabel, TX

1845

Port Isabel is on the point where Texas Highway 100 meets the Laguna Madre in southeastern Cameron County, sixteen miles northeast of Brownsville. It is connected to South Padre Island by the two-mile-long Queen Isabella Causeway (Park Road 100). The first settlement in the area, Brazos Santiago, was on nearby Brazos Island. In 1788 water sellers traveled to the area to obtain water. The site was also used as a summer resort by 1800. Jean Laffite is said to have had a fifteen-foot well dug near the site of present Laguna Vista, five miles northwest of Port Isabel. Official claim to the land was not made until 1828, when it was granted to Rafael García as part of the Potrero ("Pasture") de Santa Isabel. During the 1830s a small community developed at the site, known as El Frontón de Santa Isabel. Later that name was changed to Punta de Santa Isabel, that is, Point Isabel. A post office was established in the community under the name Point Isabel in June 1845. The name of the post office and community were changed to Brazos Santiago in 1849, when the Oblates of Mary Immaculate arrived in the community and established Our Lady by the Sea Church. Also that year the community suffered an outbreak of cholera, and it was several years before it recovered fully. In 1850 Port Isabel was the second largest town in the area, which by 1859 was exporting $10 million dollars worth of cotton annually. The Port Isabel Lighthouse was built in 1853 at a cost of $7,000; it served as a lookout during the conflict with Juan N. Cortina known as the Cortina War. During the first three years of the Civil War Port Isabel was known as a haven for blockade runners due to its proximity to Mexico. All the ships in the harbor were destroyed or captured during a Union attack on May 30, 1863. The first railway in the area was the Rio Grande Valley Railway, a narrow-gauge line connecting Port Isabel to Brownsville, funded and built by Simón Celaya of Brownsville, which began operation in 1872. The name of the post office was changed from Brazos Santiago to Isabel in 1881. In 1904 the town had one school with two teachers and eighty-one students. In 1915 the community officially became Point Isabel. From 1925 to 1927 the estimated population was 200. The town was incorporated as Port Isabel on March 23, 1928. That year a shallow-draft channel was dredged around the south and west sides of the town. Also in that year, the Rio Grande Railroad was acquired by the Port Isabel and Rio Grande Valley Railway. By 1929 the population had reached an estimated 750. In 1930 the post office changed its name to Port Isabel. The Point Isabel Press was in operation from the 1920s into the 1930s, after which it was the Port Isabel Press . On July 3, 1930, the River and Harbor Act authorized the expansion of the Port Isabel harbor through the Brazos Island harbor project. In 1933 the ship channel was dredged to a depth of twelve feet and a width of 125 feet. That year Port Isabel had an estimated population of 1,177 and forty-five businesses. In 1934 the first annual Texas International Fishing Tournament was held in Port Isabel by the International Game and Fish Association. The first modern use of Port Isabel as a seaport occurred on July 27, 1935. In 1937 a six-foot channel was dredged from Port Isabel to a point two miles east of Harlingen. In 1941 the Port Isabel and Rio Grande sold its track connecting Port Isabel to Brownsville to the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway. The channel connecting Port Isabel to Harlingen was full of silt by 1942 and was no longer in use. In 1952 the community had a population estimated at 2,372 and seventy businesses. By 1956 Port Isabel was served by the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway , completed during the 1950s, increased trade and improved the economic health of Port Isabel, but it also caused problems. A spoil bank from its construction polluted the community, and the city's board sought the assistance

Tsha Handbook → · 6.2 mi away

Things to Do in South Padre Island

historical 2.6 mi away

The Bridge That Vanished in the Dark

On September 15 2001 just four days after the September 11 attacks a tugboat pushing four barges slammed into a support column of the Queen Isabella Causeway…

historical 4.1 mi away

The Last Battle Nobody Wanted

The very last battle of the Civil War was fought just east of Port Isabel on May 13 1865 more than a month after Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Both sides had…

historical 3.7 mi away

The Last Lighthouse Standing

Of the sixteen lighthouses ever built along the Texas coast only one survives and you can still climb it. The Port Isabel Lighthouse was completed in 1853 its…

historical 4.0 mi away

First European Eyes on Texas

In 1519 Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda sailed along the Gulf Coast and became the first European to lay eyes on what would become Texas. He charted…

quirky 7.7 mi away

The Pirates Well

The notorious pirate Jean Lafitte prowled the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre around Port Isabel in the early 1800s. Legend says he had his crew dig a…

historical 4.0 mi away

The Storm That Nearly Erased a Town

In August 1933 a Category 1 hurricane slammed into the coast near Port Isabel with ninety-mile-per-hour winds. Most of the towns 500 residents fled inland but…

historical 4.0 mi away

Shrimping Capital of the World

In the 1950s and 1960s Port Isabel earned the title Shrimping Capital of the World and it wasnt just bragging. By 1958 ten processing plants lined the…

historical 4.1 mi away

General Taylors Supply Depot

When tensions between the United States and Mexico boiled over in 1846 General Zachary Taylor marched his troops to the Rio Grande and set up his supply depot…

Everything Near South Padre Island

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

Loetscher, Ila Marie Fox [Turtle Lady] · Tsha Handbook
Ila Marie Fox Loetscher, known as the "Turtle Lady," one of the first female pilots in the United States, a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, and a conservationist celebrated for her work with Kemp's ridley sea…
South Padre Island, TX · Tsha Handbook
South Padre Island is a resort community on Park Road 100 at the southernmost tip of Padre Island in Cameron County. It is flanked on three sides by the Gulf of Mexico, Brazos Santiago Pass, and the Laguna Madre .…
The Night the Bridge Fell · 0.7 mi
The bridge you just crossed, the Queen Isabella Causeway, is the island's lifeline. But in the early hours of September 15, 2001, that lifeline was severed. A towboat pushing four barges lost control in the currents and…
The Lost Treasure Fleet of 1554 · 0.7 mi
Just off the coast of the island you're on lies the scene of a 16th-century catastrophe. In April 1554, a fleet of four Spanish ships loaded with treasure from the New World sailed for Spain. Off Padre Island, up toward…
The Turtle Lady of South Padre · 0.7 mi
One of South Padre's most beloved stories began in the 1960s with a woman named Ila Loetscher. Iowa's first licensed woman pilot and a friend of Amelia Earhart, she came down here after her husband died and became…
South Padre Island, TX · 0.7 mi
South Padre Island might be known for its beaches and spring break, but its true heart lies in something far more enduring: the tireless work of sea turtle conservation. It's a mission born of necessity, given that our…
Becoming the Spring Break Capital · 0.7 mi
In the 1980s, South Padre Island's identity was forged in a storm of neon, loud music, and college students. It had always been a beach town, but the Queen Isabella Causeway opening in 1974 made the island easy to…
The Engineering Lifeline: The Causeway · 0.7 mi
The road you're driving on to reach South Padre Island is more than just a road; it's a major feat of civil engineering. The Queen Isabella Causeway stretches for 2.4 miles across the saltwater of the Laguna Madre.…
Saltier Than the Gulf Next Door · 0.7 mi
That calm water between the island and the mainland isn't just a bay — the Laguna Madre is one of only about six hypersaline lagoons anywhere on Earth, meaning it regularly runs saltier than the ocean right next to it.…
The Priest's Island Ranch · 0.7 mi
The 'Padre' in South Padre Island was a real man: José Nicolás Ballí, born at Reynosa around 1770 into a family that held better than a million acres in South Texas. The island itself had been granted to his grandfather…
Padre J. Nicolas Balli · 2.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving along the South Texas coast, passing near the legendary Padre Island. It's named for Padre Jose Nicolas Balli, a man whose family roots stretch back to Spain in 1569. Balli himself arrived in the early…
The Night the Causeway Fell · 2.6 mi
The Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge is the only road between Port Isabel and South Padre Island, and the word memorial in its name was earned. At about two in the morning on September fifteenth, two thousand one, just…

Show all 148 nearby places

The Bridge That Vanished in the Dark · 2.6 mi · Things to Do
On September 15 2001 just four days after the September 11 attacks a tugboat pushing four barges slammed into a support column of the Queen Isabella Causeway…
1923 Point Isabel Coast Guard Building · 3.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising past the 1923 Point Isabel Coast Guard Building! The feds have kept a coastal presence here since 1852, but this is the third permanent structure. Built in 1923, it was one of nine stations stretching…
Brazos Santiago, C.S.A. · 3.6 mi · Historical Marker
Brazos Santiago Pass, to south of this spot, was important Confederate harbor-entry during the Civil War. On island across the pass were fort and town of Brazos Santiago, where on Feb. 21, 1861, Texas troops under Col.…
Brazos Santiago Pass and Brazos Island Military Depot · 3.6 mi · Historical Marker
Named by the Spanish, Brazos Santiago Pass is a narrow passageway extending inward from the sea. The pass lies between Brazos Island and Padre Island. The changing depths of the pass channel kept large vessels from…
Port of Matamoros · 3.7 mi · Historical Marker
The Port of Matamoros was established in 1824. Commercial cargo, shipped mainly from New Orleans and other U.S. ports, was unloaded at the port and transported overland to Matamoros, Reynosa, Camargo, Monterrey, and…
The Last Lighthouse Standing · 3.7 mi · Things to Do
Of the sixteen lighthouses ever built along the Texas coast only one survives and you can still climb it. The Port Isabel Lighthouse was completed in 1853 its…
Point Isabel Lighthouse, Old · 3.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Point Isabel Lighthouse, a vital beacon for Rio Grande commerce. Built by the U.S. government in 1852, this tower guided ships for decades. But its light went dark during the Civil War, a…
Port Isabel (Old Point Isabel) · 3.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Port Isabel, a place that started as a ranch settlement called 'El Fronton de Santa Ysabel' around 1828. By 1844, it became a crucial Mexican customs station after storms wiped out nearby villages.…
Queen Isabel Inn · 3.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising past the site of the Queen Isabel Inn, a place that sparked Port Isabel's tourism boom! Built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1906</say-as>, it started as the "Point Isabel Tarpon & Fishing…
Site of Fort Polk · 3.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Fort Polk, right on the shores of the Laguna Madre. This wasn't just a military installation; it started as a Mexican village, settled by ranchers way back in the 1700s. When war broke…
Point Isabel, C.S.A. · 3.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Port Isabel, a key point during the Civil War. In late 1861, the Union Navy blockaded this port, stopping all commerce and forcing customs offices to move inland. The Confederates used the lighthouse…
Charles Champion · 3.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Port Isabel, where Charles Champion made his mark. He bought the local store in 1894, renaming it 'The Champion Store.' By 1899, he'd built a brick building called 'The Key of the Gulf,' housing not…
Port Isabel Cemetery · 3.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Port Isabel Cemetery, a burial ground with roots stretching back to the Mexican government's Santa Ysabel Grant in 1829. Local tradition says ranch hands on Don Rafael Garcia's El Fronton de…
Port Isabel, TX · 4.0 mi
Port Isabel is named after Queen Isabella of Spain, reflecting the city's Spanish colonial heritage. Originally, Spanish settlers referred to the area as El Frontón, which means a wall-like cliff extending into the bay.…
First European Eyes on Texas · 4.0 mi · Things to Do
In 1519 Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda sailed along the Gulf Coast and became the first European to lay eyes on what would become Texas. He charted…
Shrimping Capital of the World · 4.0 mi · Things to Do
In the 1950s and 1960s Port Isabel earned the title Shrimping Capital of the World and it wasnt just bragging. By 1958 ten processing plants lined the…
The Storm That Nearly Erased a Town · 4.0 mi · Things to Do
In August 1933 a Category 1 hurricane slammed into the coast near Port Isabel with ninety-mile-per-hour winds. Most of the towns 500 residents fled inland but…
Alta Vista Apartments · 4.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Alta Vista Apartments in Port Isabel, a true survivor on the coast. Built way back in 1931 by the Gaskill-Hodgson Company, it's the oldest apartment building still standing in town. Look for its…
The Last Battle Nobody Wanted · 4.1 mi · Things to Do
The very last battle of the Civil War was fought just east of Port Isabel on May 13 1865 more than a month after Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Both sides had…
General Taylors Supply Depot · 4.1 mi · Things to Do
When tensions between the United States and Mexico boiled over in 1846 General Zachary Taylor marched his troops to the Rio Grande and set up his supply depot…
Port Isabel Lighthouse · 4.3 mi · Historical Marker
The Port Isabel Lighthouse has been standing at the southern tip of Texas since 1852, and the ground beneath it was a battlefield before the first brick was laid. In 1846, General Zachary Taylor established his supply…
The Lighthouse That Switched Sides · 5.6 mi · Things to Do
During the Civil War the Port Isabel Lighthouse became a strategic chess piece fought over by both armies. Confederate forces held the area in the early stages…
The Lighthouse at the End of the War · 5.7 mi
The tall white tower you can't miss in Port Isabel is more than just a landmark; it's a survivor. The Port Isabel Lighthouse was built in 1852 to guide ships through the tricky Brazos Santiago Pass and into the safety…
The Last Battle of the Civil War · 5.7 mi
About a dozen miles southwest of Port Isabel, out on the banks of the Rio Grande east of Brownsville, lies the site of one of history's great ironies. On May 12th and 13th, 1865, Union and Confederate soldiers clashed…
Engineering the Gateway to the Island · 5.7 mi
As you approach South Padre Island, you're driving on a major feat of civil engineering: the Queen Isabella Causeway. Stretching 2.4 miles across the Laguna Madre, this bridge had to be designed to overcome significant…
The Day the Island Was Cut Off · 5.7 mi
The Queen Isabella Causeway is the only road to South Padre Island, a vital link for residents and tourists. But in the early hours of September 15, 2001, that link was violently broken. A towboat pushing four heavy…
Port Isabel, TX · 5.7 mi
Port Isabel, Texas, has a rich history that dates back to the Mexican War of Independence. It was established as a town and became a crucial cotton-exporting port before the American Civil War. The harbor, town, and…
Laguna Heights, TX · 5.9 mi
Laguna Heights, a small community in Cameron County, Texas, has experienced significant changes over the years. The population, which was 3,488 in 2010, dramatically decreased to 962 by the 2020 census. One of the most…
Port Isabel, TX · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Port Isabel is on the point where Texas Highway 100 meets the Laguna Madre in southeastern Cameron County, sixteen miles northeast of Brownsville. It is connected to South Padre Island by the two-mile-long Queen…
Singer, John V. · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Padre Island, and right here, John V. Singer buried a fortune. Singer, brother of the famous sewing machine inventor, sailed to Texas around 1847. After his ship wrecked on Padre Island, he and his…
Fort Polk · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near the mouth of the Rio Grande, right where the United States and Mexico were on the brink of war. In March of 1846, General Zachary Taylor marched his army into this disputed territory. After burning…
Champion, Charles · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Port Isabel, a town that owes much of its early development to Charles Champion. Born right here in 1870, Champion was a merchant who saw the potential of this coastal community. In 1894, he took…
Gonzales, Noe Refugio · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Port Isabel, Texas, a place that sent one of its own to the skies during World War II. Noe R. Gonzales, a local fisherman's son, became a decorated hero aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress. Imagine…
Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Structure · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Structure is on State Highway 100 in Port Isabel, southeastern Cameron County. Construction of the lighthouse was contracted by the United States government on December 6, 1851,…
Barreda, Celestino Pardo · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving past Port Isabel, and right here is where Celestino Pardo Barreda began his Texas story. Born in Spain in 1858, he arrived in Texas in 1871, first working with his uncles in Brownsville before heading…
Champion, Albert · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Port Isabel, a town that owes its early success to settlers like Albert Champion. Arriving from Austria in the 1840s, Champion and his brothers were among the first to settle here when it was just…
Edgar, William M. · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Port Isabel, Texas, a place that saw action way back in the Mexican War. Right here, Confederate officer William M. Edgar fought in the Battle of Palo Alto in May of <say-as interpret-as="date"…
Hockaday, James Addison · 6.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving by Port Isabel, a town that owes a lot to one man's dedication. Dr. James Addison Hockaday wasn't just a physician; he was deeply invested in this coastal community. After serving in World War I, he…
The Ocelot's Last Stand · 7.5 mi
Just north of Laguna Vista, you’re passing the edge of a wild kingdom: the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1946, this nearly 100,000-acre sanctuary is one of the most ecologically important…
The Night the Bridge Fell · 7.5 mi
As you look toward the soaring Queen Isabella Causeway that connects the mainland to South Padre Island, it's hard to imagine it not being there. But in the early morning hours of September 15, 2001, the unthinkable…
Bringing a Dead Sea Back to Life · 7.5 mi
If you were to look just south of Laguna Vista, you'd see a vast, shimmering wetland called the Bahia Grande, spreading from Highway 100 all the way down toward the Brownsville Ship Channel. But for nearly seven decades…
Laguna Vista, TX · 7.5 mi
Laguna Vista, hugging the shores of the Laguna Madre, owes its existence to a vision of relaxed coastal living. While not known for a particular industry in the traditional sense, its economy and culture are undeniably…
The Pirates Well · 7.7 mi · Things to Do
The notorious pirate Jean Lafitte prowled the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre around Port Isabel in the early 1800s. Legend says he had his crew dig a…
Bahia Grande · 7.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Cameron County, near Laguna Vista, and you're passing over what used to be a dust bowl. This is Bahia Grande, once a thriving wetland, vital for fish and wildlife. In the 1800s, shallow boats…
The Tournament That Started It All · 8.4 mi · Things to Do
In 1934 a local doctor named J.A. Hockaday decided the world needed to know about the fishing in the Rio Grande Valley. He organized the first Texas…
Palmetto Pilings · 8.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a vital Civil War supply line. Look for the palmetto pilings – they're the remnants of the Boca Chica Crossing, a railroad built right here. General Francis H. Herron started it in 1864,…
The Biggest Rocket Ever Built · 8.6 mi
Out at Boca Chica, near Brownsville, SpaceX builds and launches Starship, the tallest, heaviest, and most powerful rocket ever flown. Stack the Starship vehicle on top of its Super Heavy booster and the whole thing…
Catching a Rocket With Giant Arms · 8.6 mi
Here is the idea that turned spaceflight on its head: stop throwing rockets away. For most of the space age, a rocket flew exactly once and then was gone, burned up or dropped in the ocean. Imagine scrapping a brand new…
Why a Rocket Carries Its Own Air · 8.6 mi
How does a rocket actually push itself through the sky? It comes down to one of Newton's laws: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The engine burns fuel and blasts hot gas downward at tremendous…
Frozen Fuel and a Shield Against Fire · 8.6 mi
A rocket like Starship lives at two wild extremes of temperature, sometimes within the same flight. On the pad, its propellants are cryogenic, which just means brutally cold. The liquid oxygen sits near 300 degrees…
Starbase — Where Texas Meets the Space Age · 9.0 mi
At the very end of Boca Chica Boulevard, where the Rio Grande spills into the Gulf of Mexico east of Brownsville, sits Starbase — SpaceX's South Texas rocket factory and launch site. In 2008 this was almost a ghost…
Boca Chica, TX · 9.0 mi
For most of its life this spot at the very end of Texas barely had a name on the map — just a scatter of houses on Boca Chica Boulevard that folks called Boca Chica Village. The land had been platted back in the 1960s…
How the Purple Heart Trail Grew Across Texas · 9.9 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…
Camp Belknap · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Camp Belknap, a massive temporary city that sprang up in the summer of 1846. When war broke out with Mexico, thousands of volunteer soldiers poured into Texas. General Zachary Taylor…
Battle of Palmito Ranch · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through South Texas, and you're passing the site of the very last land battle of the Civil War. It's called the Battle of Palmito Ranch, and it happened way after General Lee surrendered. On May 12th and…
Last Battle of the Civil War · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Brownsville, and right here, the very last battle of the Civil War took place. It was called Palmito Hill, fought on May 13th, 1865. That's 34 days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox! Confederate…
Two Officers, Five Minutes, and a Supreme Court Case · 13.9 mi
The Trooper David Irvine Rucker Memorial Highway runs along State Highway One Hundred in Cameron County, between Farm to Market Road Five Twenty Three and Farm to Market Road Three Oh Six Nine. David Rucker was born in…
Battle of Palmito Ranch · 15.5 mi · Historical Marker
The last battle of the Civil War was fought right here, and the losing side won it. On May 13, 1865, more than a month after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Union and Confederate troops clashed along the Rio…
Deputy Constable Ruben Garcia on State Highway Forty Eight · 16.2 mi
This piece of State Highway Forty Eight in Cameron County, between State Highway Five Fifty and Fishermans Place Road, is the Deputy Constable Ruben Garcia Memorial Highway. Ruben Garcia was born in Albion, Michigan, in…
Palmito Ranch Battle Marker (1865) · 17.1 mi · Things to Do
Port of Brownsville · 19.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Brownsville, where a century of effort finally opened up this part of South Texas to the world. Back in 1854, U.S. Army engineers surveyed the area, but the only natural harbor, Brazos de Santiago…
Ranching · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and the very word 'ranch' has roots right here, stretching back to the 1730s. The Spanish started it, letting herds roam free to feed soldiers and settlers near San Antonio and Goliad. As…
Bowman, Sarah · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville, and you might just be passing the site of Fort Brown. Right here, this was the scene of legendary bravery during the Mexican War, thanks to a woman known as…
Cameron County · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Cameron County, a place with a history as rich and complex as its subtropical landscape. Back in 1846, this land, disputed between the U.S. and Mexico, became the flashpoint for the…
De La Rosa, Luis · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near the Rio Grande, a region that was once the stage for a radical uprising known as the Plan of San Diego. Right here, Luis De la Rosa, a butcher and cattleman from Cameron County,…
Esparza, Carlos · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville, where a man named Carlos Esparza lived in the shadows. Born in Mexico in 1828, Esparza was a key supporter of Juan Cortina, a controversial figure who led a…
Norias Ranch Raid · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, nearing the border region, where tensions ran high during the "bandit wars" of the early 1900s. As dusk fell on August 8th, 1915, a large group of Mexican horsemen, carrying a red…
Resacas · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Cameron County, and the landscape might look a little unusual. See those winding channels, some dry, some holding water? Those are resacas – former beds of the Rio Grande. They were once natural…
Rio Grande Valley · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the Rio Grande Valley, a region transformed from dusty rangeland into an agricultural powerhouse. Before 1898, this was mostly desert. But then, two things changed everything: large-scale…
Vela, Isidro · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near the border, where tensions ran high during the Civil War. Isidro Vela, a rancher and judge, found himself caught in the middle. He supported secession, but faced hostility from…
Dominguez Mexican Company · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
The Domínguez Mexican Company, also known as the Mexican Spy Company, was led by Manuel Domínguez, a weaver who was subjected to extortion by a Mexican officer and became an informant for the United States Army during…
Kopernik Shores, TX · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Kopernik Shores is on State Highway 4 a mile inland from the Laguna Madre and twenty-two miles east of Brownsville in southeast Cameron County. It was developed in 1967 by John Caputa, a radio personality cum land…
Santa Rita, TX · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Santa Rita was on the Rio Grande five miles west of Brownsville in what is now Cameron County. It was possibly the earliest town that was named by English-speaking people in that area, and was the first seat of…
Merrill, James Cushing · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near Brownsville, and right here is the site of Fort Brown. Back in the late 1870s, this was home to James Cushing Merrill, a U.S. Army surgeon with a passion for nature. While…
Reds and Blues · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, the political landscape used to be a lot more colorful – literally! Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, especially in places like Cameron County, many voters…
Texas Palm · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the lower Rio Grande Valley, and right here, you might see the Texas Palm, also known as the Rio Grande palmetto. This native palm, reaching up to forty-eight feet, once lined the riverbanks as…
Russelltown, TX · 19.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
Russelltown (formerly Barreda) is on the Missouri Pacific line at the junction of State Highway 100 and U.S. Highway 83/77 in the delta region of the Rio Grande, twelve miles northwest of Brownsville in south Cameron…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Los Fresnos (Los Fresnos) · 19.3 mi
Los Fresnos (Los Fresnos, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Joaquin Alvarado (2 HR).
Rio Grande Campaign · 19.4 mi
You're driving near the Rio Grande, right where the Civil War's final land battle took place. In 1863, the Union army invaded South Texas, pushing up the coast and along the river, hoping to cut off Confederate trade…
Chapman, William Warren · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Brownsville, Texas, and right here is where a key figure in the Mexican-American War helped shape South Texas. William Warren Chapman, a West Point graduate, fought bravely at the Battle of Buena…
Charro Days · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, and right here, you're experiencing the vibrant Charro Days fiesta! It all kicked off back in 1938, inspired by a desire to celebrate the rich Mexican heritage of this border region.…
Cobolini, Louis · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, you're passing through the area that Louis Cobolini, an Italian immigrant and veteran of Garibaldi's fight for Italian unification, helped transform. After arriving in…
Cortina, Juan Nepomuceno · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near Brownsville, where in 1859, a man named Juan Cortina ignited what became known as the first Cortina War. He was enraged, accusing local officials of stealing land from Mexican…
Garza, Catarino Erasmo · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville or Eagle Pass, and you might be passing through territory once roamed by Catarino Erasmo Garza. He was a journalist, a revolutionary, and a folk hero to many.…
LULAC v. Clements · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas right now, and you're passing through the heart of a major fight for educational equality. Back in 1987, a landmark lawsuit, LULAC v. Clements, was filed right here in Cameron County.…
Paredes, Américo · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near Brownsville, where Américo Paredes was born in 1915. He was a musician, a scholar, and a folklorist who grew up bilingual. Paredes's most famous work, 'With His Pistol in His…
Pizaña, Aniceto · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, not far from the border, where a poet named Aniceto Pizaña turned revolutionary. Born here in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1877</say-as>, Pizaña was a rancher and poet who…
Silva, Consuelo [Chelo] · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here in Brownsville, a legend was born. Consuelo Silva, known to the world as Chelo, started singing in school and church in the late 1930s. By the 1940s, she was a star,…
Stillman, James · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, the birthplace of James Stillman, a man who built a Texas empire from right here. In 1872, he took over his father's business and transformed it into a powerhouse, controlling major…
Vidal, Adrián J. · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near Brownsville, and right here is the story of Adrián J. Vidal, a man who fought on both sides of the Civil War. Born in Mexico in 1840, Vidal learned the steamboat trade on the Rio…
Yturria, Francisco · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near the border, and right here you're passing through the territory of Francisco Yturria, a man who made a fortune during the Civil War. While the war raged, Yturria became a master…
Sexton, Henry Lloyd [Harry] · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near Brownsville, where Harry Sexton made a name for himself. He came here in 1916 as a soldier, but stayed to become managing editor of the Brownsville Herald. His career took him…
Joint Committee of the Senate and the House in the Investigation of the Texas State Ranger Force [Canales Investigation] · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville, and you're passing through a place where a fierce battle for justice was fought. Back in 1919, State Representative José T. Canales, the only Latino in the…
Latin American Baseball Origins · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, Texas, right near where history was made on Christmas Day, 1868. On that holiday, the first formally organized baseball game played by Latin American players took place right here. It…
Torres, Maria Elida Rodriguez [Lily] · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville. Right here, you're passing through the territory of Maria Elida Rodriguez Torres, known as Lily. In the 1970s, Lily Torres broke barriers, becoming one of the…
Brownsville, TX · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, a city born from military conflict. Right here, in 1846, U.S. troops under General Zachary Taylor began building a fort across the Rio Grande from Matamoros. They called it Fort…
Brownsville Raid of 1906 · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
The Brownsville Raid of August 13-14, 1906, an alleged attack by soldiers from companies B, C, and D of the black Twenty-fifth United States Infantry stationed at Fort Brown, resulted in the largest summary dismissals…
Garza, Reynaldo Guerra · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
Reynaldo Guerra Garza, jurist, was born in Brownsville, Texas, July 7, 1915, the child of Ygnacio and Zoila Garza, emigrants from Mexico. One of eight children, he attended local public schools in Brownsville, was…
H1N1 Virus · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
The death of a Mexican toddler in April 2009 marked the first casualty of a new (novel) influenza strain, A (H1N1)pdm09, better known as H1N1. The child's family had traveled from Mexico to Brownsville, Texas, when the…
Bee, Hamilton Prioleau · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near the border, and right here, in what is now Cameron County, Hamilton P. Bee made a critical stand during the Civil War. Appointed a Confederate brigadier general in 1862,…
Convent of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1853</say-as>, four sisters arrived from France. They came to establish the very first convent of the Incarnate Word and…
Dancy, Oscar Cromwell · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, Texas, and right here is a place with a judge who served a record-breaking fifty years! Oscar C. Dancy came to Brownsville in 1909, seeking a healthier climate for his wife. He…
Davenport, Harbert · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, the city that became home to Harbert Davenport, a lawyer and historian with a passion for Texas's past. Davenport was instrumental in a landmark legal battle over Padre Island,…
Dougherty, Edward · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, near Brownsville, and right here is where Edward Dougherty made his mark. Born in Ireland, he came to Texas as a soldier in the Mexican War, fighting in the very first battles at Palo…
Gladys Porter Zoo · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, and right here is the Gladys Porter Zoo. It's a world-class park, but what makes it unique is that it was entirely funded, built, and stocked by a single foundation, the Earl C. Sams…
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving along the Texas coast, and right here is a vital artery of commerce: the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. This isn't just a ditch; it's a massive canal system, stretching over 400 miles across Texas alone,…
Kelly, Nora · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, Texas, a city with a rich history of care and compassion. Right here, Nora Kelly, daughter of a steamboat captain and Civil War veteran, dedicated her life to helping the most…
McGonigle, Ruth Eugenia Young · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, a city with a rich architectural heritage, and right here in town, you've passed buildings designed by Ruth Young McGonigle. Born in Spindletop in 1902, McGonigle became the first…
Mussina, Simon · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville, and you're passing through a place with a history tied to a fascinating man named Simon Mussina. He was a merchant, an attorney, and a newspaper editor who…
Oblates of Mary Immaculate · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, and right here, you're passing through the heart of a vast mission field established by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Arriving in 1849, these priests and brothers, known…
Rankin, Melinda · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas right now, maybe near Brownsville. Back in the 1850s, Melinda Rankin arrived here from New Hampshire, a Presbyterian missionary dedicated to educating Mexican girls. She founded the…
San Roman, Jose · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Brownsville, the heart of South Texas commerce. Back during the Civil War, this area was a hotbed for a risky, but profitable, business: contraband cotton. José San Román, a Spanish immigrant who’d…
Torres, Ruben M., Sr. · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Cameron County, near Brownsville, where Ruben M. Torres, Sr. made his mark. Born right here in 1929, Torres wasn't just an educator and superintendent; he broke barriers. In 1975, he became the…
Wells, James Babbage, Jr. · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, the land of political bosses and sprawling ranches. Right here in Brownsville, for decades, one man held the reins: James B. "Judge" Wells. From the late 1870s until 1920, Wells was…
Wells, Pauline Josefine Kleiber · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, perhaps near Brownsville, where Pauline Kleiber Wells was born in 1863. While many women were fighting for the right to vote in the early 1900s, Pauline was a leading voice against…
Rabb, Frank · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the Rio Grande Valley, and right here, Frank Rabb was pioneering a revolution in agriculture back in the early 1900s. He inherited vast ranches near Brownsville, but instead of just raising…
U.S. Customs Border Patrol · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving along the Texas border, and right here, these dusty trails were once patrolled by some of the first U.S. Customs mounted inspectors. Authorized back in 1853, these 'line riders' or 'river guards' rode…
Armstrong, Frank B. · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville, where Frank Armstrong built his reputation as a world-class ornithologist. He came to Brownsville in 1890, drawn by the incredible subtropical bird life. He…
Brooks, Samuel W. · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, and you're passing by the legacy of Samuel W. Brooks. Brooks was the architect and builder who shaped this town in the late 1800s. After working in New Orleans and Matamoros, he…
Cummings, Franklin · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, a city with a rich past, and Franklin Cummings was a big part of it. He arrived here in 1850, drawn by the promise of a deep-sea port. A lawyer and developer, Cummings quickly became…
Cummings, Joseph Franklin · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, Texas, a town that owes much of its modern structure to Joseph Franklin Cummings. After a career that included West Point, service in the Indian Wars, and teaching in Galveston,…
Kingsbury, Gilbert D. · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, heading towards Brownsville, and right here, in what was once a frontier town, lived a man named Gilbert Kingsbury. Arriving in 1855 under the name F. F. Fenn, he served as deputy…
Texas Southmost College · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, and right here is the site of Texas Southmost College. It opened its doors in 1926 as Brownsville Junior College, born out of a need for higher education in the lower Rio Grande…
Woodhouse, Humphrey Eugene · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Cameron County, near the coast, and right here is the story of Humphrey Eugene Woodhouse, a merchant who made his fortune on the Texas coast. Arriving at Brazos Santiago in 1847, he quickly moved…
Creager, Rentfro Banton · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville, where Rentfro Banton Creager made his mark. Born in Waco in 1877, Creager studied law at UT and then set up practice here in Brownsville. He was a major player…
Pierce, Frank Cushman · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through the Rio Grande Valley right now, maybe near Brownsville. Back in 1915, during a tense border incident, Frank Pierce of Brownsville was tapped by military leaders. His job? To personally reassure…
Reis, Claire Raphael · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Brownsville, the birthplace of Claire Raphael Reis, born right here on August 4, 1888. While she spent most of her life in New York, Reis became a powerhouse in the classical music world. In 1923,…
Rentfro, Robert Byron · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe near Brownsville, where Robert Byron Rentfro spent most of his life. Born in Montgomery County in 1874, he studied law and eventually practiced with his father in Brownsville.…
Washington, Walter Owen · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what is now Travis County, not far from Austin, where Walter Owen Washington was born in 1883. He became a civil engineer and a pioneer in building strong concrete highways. Washington was key in…
West, Milton Horace · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through South Texas, maybe not far from where Milton Horace West got his start. Born near Gonzales in 1888, West had a fascinating early career. He was offered a commission with the Canadian Royal Mounted…
Brownsville and Gulf Railroad · 19.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
The Brownsville and Gulf Railroad was chartered on May 10, 1883, to connect the ferry landings in Brownsville, Cameron County, with the Rio Grande Railroad, a distance of five miles. The capital stock was $25,000. The…
The Rodeo That Defines the Town · 19.9 mi
If you happen to be driving through Los Fresnos in February, you can't miss the energy. The whole town comes alive for the Los Fresnos Rodeo. This isn't just a small-town fair; it's a major, PRCA-sanctioned event that…
Los Fresnos, TX · 19.9 mi
Los Fresnos, Texas, might feel like a small dot on the map down here close to the Gulf, but it’s a place that’s grown some mighty big roots. You can feel it in the way folks talk about the old days, the way the high…
Conjunto Halcon at Los Fresnos High School · 19.9 mi
Back in 2013, a band director named Juan Longoria Junior started a conjunto program at Los Fresnos High School with thirteen kids. Today it's pushing a hundred — varsity, junior varsity, and a beginner class feeding the…
Lon Hill's canals tame the delta · 19.9 mi
The very existence of Los Fresnos is an engineering marvel. When you look at the lush fields surrounding the town, remember that this was once semi-arid brushland, receiving far too little rain for farming. The…
Los Fresnos, TX · 19.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Los Fresnos, a town with roots stretching back to a Spanish land grant in 1781. But the town itself really took shape in the early 1900s. Land speculator Lon C. Hill bought up thousands of acres…

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South Padre Island, Texas

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The Night the Bridge Fell RoadyGoat

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The Turtle Lady of South Padre RoadyGoat

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