Brownsville to Del Rio
The “RGV” or “Valley” consists primarily of the three counties at the tip of Texas. The climate is sub-tropical with lush growth dotted with palm trees along the Rio Grande. The impact of irrigation cannot be over-stated, this land was virtually uninhabitable prior to the development of the steam irrigation pumps that lead to wide swaths of the mesquite brush being cleared for agriculture. The last 50 years have seen the focus of the valley turn from Brownsville to a band of cities stretching northwest from Harlingen to Mission and beyond. This is stereotypical suburban sprawl except that there is really no urban “center”. These historical small farming towns have been overtaken by recent tremendous growth (at one time the fastest growing area in the United States) and a six, sometimes eight lane freeway connects Brownsville with Harlingen (30 miles to the north) and on to McAllen (30 miles to the west of Harlingen). Over 1.3 million people live in the valley and most of them seem to use the freeway, regardless of the hour of the day! A hot, sunny, humid day sees my departure from the RGV as I head west. The agricultural land gradually gives way to the mesquite brush, which is bright green in early spring.
West of Mission the highway shrinks to two lanes but the commercial sprawl continues in a narrow band on both sides of the highway.
120 miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico is Roma, a small town that essentially lies at the upper end of the “Valley” and the beginning of a transition to a more arid climate. The Roma Bluffs rise sharply above the north bank of the Rio Grande, where a shallow ford in the river allowed for easy crossing. A small arroyo cuts through the bluffs and formed a natural path down to the river. More than 20 settlements were founded along the lower Rio Grande from 1749-1755 on behalf of Spain by Jose de Escandon. Roma is the only one that survived.
Roma, TX
By the 1880’s Roma had become an important shipping point on the Rio Grande as the bluffs represented the farthest point up the river that steamboats could travel. A wharf was built at the base of the bluffs and a substantial town grew on the bluffs above. Unfortunately the increase in population and agriculture in the area lead to a drop in the water level of the river, which fell 7 feet between 1850 and 1900. The arrival of the railroad signaled the end of river traffic and Roma declined rapidly. Today the bluff has essentially been abandoned and the small business district has moved off the bluff southwest along Highway 83. The view from the bluffs looks down across the river towards the city of Ciudad Miguel Aleman in Mexico, clearly a much larger and more prosperous town.
The banks of the river are being restored closer to the native habitat and are a National Wildlife Refuge, making the area a beacon for bird-watchers. The dominating structure in old Roma is the 1854 church tower, remnant of the original church standing next to a more recent expansion.
A convent built in 1880 sits across a parking lot from the church.
The view south from the steps of the church is across the town plaza towards Mexico. The river flows below out of sight.
Most of the buildings around the plaza were constructed in the 1880’s and have long been abandoned and left to the elements.
Just off the plaza to the east is the arroyo that served as the road down to the wharf on the river. The bridge to Mexico is in the distance.
At the top of the arroyo sits the 1884 Nestor Saenz store.
Continuing northwest from Roma the road takes us out into the mesquite and acacia trees and brush that blanket the land. We are clearly out of the flat coastal plain and the land rolls in all directions.
Gradually the number of trees begins to dwindle and brush overtakes the land as the climate moves farther and farther away from the sub-tropics of the RGV. The yucca are in bloom and occasionally punctuate the brush with spikes of white blooms.
The river flows out of sight to the south as we approach Laredo, the last remaining large city in southwest Texas. Home to nearly 250,000 people, Laredo anchors the southern end of I-35, the interstate highway that runs north to San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and beyond and a major border crossing for commerce. Across the Rio Grande is the Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo, population around 375,000. I have been to Laredo before and, while the historic city center is an interesting stop, I know from experience that the streets are too narrow and the traffic too dense for maneuvering the Lunch Box so I pass by Laredo and just wave from a distance.
Thirteen miles north of Laredo I finally see through the hazy heat the outlines of something I have been expecting to see all along the Rio Grande, a significant structure of Spanish colonial design, perhaps a church or mission.
The complex sits at the intersection of I-35 and Hwy 83, which is my exit so I pull off and explore. The complex is a striking oasis in the Texas brush, surrounded by a low wall punctuated with arched entrances.
Through the entrance one enters a lush landscape with a tiered set of pools connected by a rushing stream, definitely a relief in the heat of the day. On the north side of the pools are a number of brightly colored tiled pavilions; to the south sits the main structure, just beyond a bronze sculpture of a map of Texas and through a pergola lined with columns on either side.
As you approach the entrance it suddenly is clear that this lush palace in the desert is a REST AREA! Yup, definitely not your average Porta-Potty…
Hwy 83 continues northwest through the brush, the Rio Grande is far to the south and a Border Patrol Traffic stop punctuates an otherwise barren view.
Briefly the sparsely populated landscape is occasionally punctuated by evidence of the oil business but quickly returns to empty desert.
We continue heading northwest and swing by the town of Eagle Pass, situated on the Rio Grande but the older part of town down by the river has been bypassed by the highway, which skirts the northeastern edge and is lined with all the ubiquitous stores and restaurants. Once past Eagle Pass the climate is clearly more arid, with sage brush and other scrub replacing the mesquite and acacia forests along the road.
The seemingly endless desert is interrupted by a burst of green as we enter the town of Del Rio, known as the “Oasis of the Desert.”
Del Rio
A roughly large oval in central Texas stretching about 100 miles west of Austin is a geological feature known as the Edwards Plateau, a raised area that includes the Texas Hill Country to the east and on the west is bordered by the Chihuahuan Desert. A quirk of geology about eight miles north of the Rio Grande creates a groups of fresh water springs known collectively as the San Felipe Springs and their output (nearly one million gallons a day) is San Felipe Creek. This oasis on the edge of the desert was first settled in 1862 and development quickly followed due to the unending supply of water provided for by the springs. A system of canals was built that enabled agriculture to take hold, including the site of Texas’ oldest vineyard (still in existence). The town that grew up just west of the creek is Del Rio. Now home to nearly 36,000 people Del Rio‘s largest employer is no longer agriculture but rather Laughlin Air Force Base, just northeast of the city. The base first opened during World War II and is now the largest training facility for pilots in the Air Force.
Just east of the town the highway crosses San Felipe Creek, the actual springs are not open to the public. This is the first clear stream that I have seen in Texas!
Highway 90 bypasses the historic town center and heads northwest, lined with the usual chain stores, restaurants and a small mall. Across an overpass that takes the road over railroad tracks the historic city center spreads out on both sides of South Main Street. Most of the buildings were constructed in the early 1900’s after the railroad arrived. There are a number of empty storefronts but there are not the discount stores targeted to foot traffic from across the river in Mexico that I have seen in other border towns. Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, which lies across the river is home to nearly 200,000 people but Del Rio does not sit right on the north bank of the Rio Grande. Because of the springs and creek, Del Rio never depended on the Rio Grande for water and the town is actually a couple of miles north of the Rio Grande- thus no walking shoppers to and from Ciudad Acuna.
A number of Italian families settled in Del Rio in the late 1800’s and included several skilled stonemasons. A number of buildings reflect their skills, including the 1887 Val Verde County Courthouse and the 1892 Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
The prosperity of the early 1900’s in Del Rio lead to a number of impressive homes built along Spring Street just past the courthouse.
South of the central area the Val Verde Vineyard, Texas’ oldest winery, founded in 1881, still produces fine wines in a rather utilitarian facility. The original building is kept cool by its 18 inch thick adobe walls and the winery is still run by descendants of the founding family.
West of Del Rio the highway leaves the Rio Grande and strikes far northwest into the heart of the Chihuahua Desert. The next bridge over the Rio Grande is 400 miles to the west in Presidio, TX.
Next up: The Eastern Desert
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