On the Border, By the Sea

From South San Padre Island you travel on a causeway back to the mainland and Port Isabel and then on to Brownsville, twenty miles away. Brownsville is historically and economically intertwined with Matamoros, its sister city on the Mexican side of the border. As a major seaport and railhead, Brownsville exports the agricultural products of the Rio Grande Valley as well as a large percentage of Mexican commerce. Locally, both cities are often thought of as one and residents frequently cross the three international bridges to shop, visit and work.

On the road between Port Isabel and Brownsville.

These look like they could be high mountains in the distance, but actually they are small sand dunes about 50 yards from the side of the road.

Approaching the city of Brownsville.

Welcome to Brownsville.

Our destination in Brownsville was the Brownsville Heritage Museum. For a moment, I thought we were heading into Mexico, but the main street, Washington, is one block before the border crossing.

The earliest people of the area were the nomadic hunting and gathering societies of the Coahuiltecans, a few Lipan Apaches and the Karankawas. These arrowheads were found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The city of Matamoros, Mexico, was founded in 1784 and was typically the location where people migrated from the east coast and Europe as they moved to the area.

Exhibits of early settlers' equipment...

and their horses.

The saloon was where the men, and only men were allowed in, gathered to share the news.

When we last left the history of Texas in 1836 (blog post for February 23), Santa Anna had been defeated at San Jacinto and he had been sent back to Mexico with the terms of the Treaties of Valesco which recognized the independence of the Republic of Texas and the Rio Grande as the official border between Mexico and Texas. Mexico never accepted the Rio Grande as the border and disputed this claim. After Texas' annexation into the United States in 1845, and ongoing disputes regarding the Texas boundary, General Zachary Taylor was dispatched to establish a base at Port Isabel and construct an earthen fort directly across the river from Matamoros. This earthen fort was also known as Fort Texas.  

Diagram of Fort Texas. Looks like the familiar shape of a fort.

When we left the Brownsville Heritage Museum, we followed the walking tour to the earth-work remains of the fort located in the middle of the Fort Brown Memorial Golf Course. Several additional original fort buildings are part of the campus shared by Texas Southmost College and University of Texas at Brownsville. These building were added immediately after the Mexican War in 1848. Young officers who served here included D.C. Buell, U.S. Grant, Geo.G. Meade, Geo. H. Thomas, later Civil War Generals in the U.S. Army. Braxton Bragg, T.H. Holmes, James Longstreet, J.C. Pemberton and E. Kirby Smith served here and became Confederate Generals. In the late 1850s, Robert E. Lee also served here. 

The Post Hospital (1868) which has arches, arcades and breezeways that accommodate the South Texas environment and the need for air flow.

Built in 1868 as the commanding officer's residence, it has hosted visiting dignitaries such as Gen. John J. Pershing and Charles A. Lindberg.

Cavalry Building (1868) is an elongated "T" plan building and was used to house cavalry units until World War I. 

We walked through the beautiful campus to the other side where the golf course is located.

Since the old fort earthen-works are right on the Rio Grande border, there was a constant presence of the Boarder Patrol.

To get to the golf course, we had to go up, and over, a levee. When we arrived at the Clubhouse to ask for directions, we were told that we wouldn't be able to visit the actual site since it is in the middle of the course. 

But, we could walk down the levee, about 300 yards beyond the driving range and we could see a cannon from the fort that had been buried pointing up. Here it is!

One of the buildings at the golf course looked as if it could have been used as a stable at one time. Now there are electric golf carts lined up inside, against the walls.

In early May, 1846, Mexican forces advanced on Fort Texas. General Zachary Taylor was away from the Fort gathering supplies in Port Isabel. Major Jacob Brown was left in charge of the fort which was fired upon by Mexican forces led by General Mariano Arista. Hearing the cannons, Gen. Taylor began his return to the fort and met Gen. Arista's troops six miles away in a battle known as Palo Alto. The following day the two forces met again at an area known as Resaca de la Palma. American forces prevailed and advanced to the fort while their Mexican counterparts retreated to the south side of the Rio Grande. There were only two American casualties at the fort, one being Major Jacob Brown. Later the fort and the city were named in memory of Major Brown.

After another year of fighting, the Mexica-American War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which established the Rio Grande as the border and also resulted in California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado all becoming part of the United States. 

After the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, local merchant and resident of Matamoros, Charles Stillman purchased several land claims next to Fort Brown that formed the basis for the City of Brownsville, Texas. The oldest structures downtown date back to 1848.

Next to the Brownsville Heritage Museum is the Stillman House, built in 1851. It is one of South Texas' most significant historical and architectural landmarks. 

The master bedroom.

Sitting room.

Behind the house is the kitchen...

and at the side of the house is the garden.

Before we left on our walking tour we ate our lunch on this beautiful bench outside of the Stillman House.

Along the way to the fort/college campus, we stopped in at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral (1854). This brick Gothic Revival style church is one of Brownsville's oldest structures. It was built by the French missionary Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate. Of note are the blue sailcloth ceiling and the bronze chandeliers imported from France in the 19th century.

Side altar.

The 250,000 bricks used for the church and rectory were made locally under the supervision of the Oblates.

This shrub with ruby-colored flowers was on the campus. We also saw this same shrub on the San Antonio River Walk and wonder if anyone knows its name? 

An old street in Brownsville.

On the way back to So. San Padre Island we stopped at the Palo Alto Battlefield which is under the supervision of the National Park Service.

The Battlefield site. We didn't have time to explore further because they were about to lock the entrance gate and we had to leave. 

Causeway back to So. San Padre Island from Port Isabel.

High-rise buildings on the Island.

This is our campground right on the tip of the Island.

And tonight there was a beautiful sunset. This picture of the causeway is from the door of the laundry room.