Lower Rio Grande Valley Curated Material
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Extra studies in Rio Grande Valley history
Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta, and Thomas Daniel Knight
Vaqueros del Valle, a poem / Manuel Medrano -- Matamoros and the Tejanos of Victoria and Goliad in the Texas Revolution: conflicting loyalties and ‘Assiduous Collaborators’ / Craig H. Roell -- Antonio Canales Rosillo / James Mills -- The origins of Salome Balli McAllen / Thomas Daniel Knight -- Sally Skull: the legend / Sondra Shands -- The Kawahata Family comes to the Valley / Randall Sakai – The Battle of Reynosa / Jesus Ramos -- Los días siguientes a la toma de Matamoros por los Constitucionalistas / Andres Cuellar -- H-E-B: an American and Valley success story / Norman Rozeff -- Algunas revistas culturales de Matamoros de 1940 a 1951 / Rosaura Alicia Davila -- Valerio Longoria: for a quarter a song / Manuel Medrano -- Hometown hero: technical Sergeant Noe R. Gonzales, B-17 flying fortress radio operator / Noe E. Perez -- Hidalgo County jury duty, 1954-1960 / Rene Rios -- Little steps by giants: a story of two minority groups working together for racial equality in Edinburg, Texas / Marissa Marmolejo and Thomas De La Cruz -- Timeless chaos: Hurricane Beulah’s march through the Lower Rio Grande Valley, September 1967 / Fernando Ortiz Jr. -- This one is for the masses: a (re)telling of South Texas and its people / Topacio Santivañez -- Migrant children and safe houses in the Tamaulipas-Texas border region / Oscar Misael Hernandez-Hernandez -- The inception of the idea of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley / Peter Gawenda -- Ephemeral Valley unity and the legislative creation of UTRGV / Anthony Knopp and Alma Ortiz Knopp -- The newest university in the 21st Century: the challenges of creating UT-RGV / Michael L. Faubion -- Attitudes toward immigration policy partisanship and ethnorace: a view from La Frontera / Jessica Lavariega Monforti and Adam McGlynn -- Interview with Patricia Cisneros Young about South Texas tales: stories my father told me / Mimosa Stephenson -- The transmigration of popular religion: praxis and renewal of syncretic faith across the U.S.-Texas frontier / Antonio Noe Zavaleta -- Creating the Rio Grande Valley Civil War Trail / Roseann Bacha-Garza, Christopher L. Miller, and Russell K. Skowronek -- “Raspa man” a poem / Manuel Medrano -- Contributors
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Fike Family Farm: A Porción of Edinburg
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program (CHAPS), Juan L. Gonzalez, Kenneth R. Summy, Russell K. Skowronek, Roseann Bacha-Garza, Eric Acosta, Jackqueline Alejos, Criselda Avalos, Evan Berg, and Priscilla Cardenas
Farming is at the very soul of the United States. From the shores of the Atlantic to the prairies of the Midwest and the Great Plains the image of the yeoman farmer permeates American history. In the greater Southwest those English-speaking farmers would encounter their Spanish-speaking counterparts in the 1850s. Those civilian vecinos had, served as the vanguard of the Spanish empire establishing towns, farms, and ranches in what would become California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It was in this milieu that the Rio Grande region was settled in the 1750s. A century and a half later, following the construction of railroads and irrigation systems the descendent of those first settlers were joined by new farmers speaking a polyglot of languages. Here at the beginning of the 20th century the "Magic Valley" was born. The guarantee of successful year-round farming enticed farming families to abandon their farms in temperate states and flock via train to the international border between the United States and Mexico. The Fikes of Ohio, and the Rorks of Nebraska were two such families who sought to make good on that promise. From them the union of Willard Fike and Anna Rork created over four generations a strong, sustainable, award-winning farming family. Farming involves long days, often pre-dawn until well after sundown. It is not glamorous. It is risky and unpredictable. These challenges are compounded by evolving regulations and geopolitics regarding tariffs and trade imbalances which can thwart even the most carefully planned plantings and harvests. It is no wonder that American family-owned farms are dwindling. Yet, the Fike Family is prospering as it begins its fourth generation of farming. In 2017 students in the seventh-annual study of an Edinburg-based farming family discovered a resiliency among the Fikes that is largely unknown in the 21st century.
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Fresh studies in Rio Grande Valley history
Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta, and Thomas Daniel Knight
Jim Wells, George Parr, Pepe Martin, and Gene Falcón: the spirit of ‘’El Patrón’’ along the Rio Grande of South Texas / Billy Hathorn -- The other underground railroad / Rolando Avila -- Frank Ellis Ferree, humanitarian / Norman Rozeff -- Chip Dameron's Rio Grande Valley: center of a narrowing universe / Ronny Noor -- Historia de la education superior en la ciudad de H. Matamoros, Tamaulipas / Miguel Sesis Botti y Maria Elena Flores Montalvo -- The quest for a public library for Brownsville / Anthony K. Knopp and Alma Ortiz Knopp -- Las Palomas Wildlife management area: a hidden natural jewel of the Rio Grande Valley / Noe E. Perez -- La Beulah: remembering the eye of the storm / Manuel F. Medrano -- Migracion en Matamoros: un laboratorio de la complejidad migratoria en la frontera Mexico-Estados Unidos / Cirila Quintero Ramirez -- Coyotes en acción: relatos de traficantes de migrantes en Reynosa / Oscar Misael Hernandez-Hernandez -- Border Walls, DREAMers and Trump: politics, policy and banality of evil / Terence M. Garrett and Paul J. Pope -- The social, political, and environmental forces contributing to the immigration crisis at the Texas-Mexico border / Mitchell A. Kaplan -- Las violencias sociales y la imparticion de la justicia en Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas / Arturo Zarate Ruiz -- U.S.-Mexico border spillover violence 2010-2019 / Antonio N. Zavaleta -- La fiebre polca, a poem / Susana Nevarez Marquez.
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From Porciones to Colonias: The Power of Place and Community-Based Learning in K-12 Education - A Case Study From the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas
University of Texas--Pan American. Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program (CHAPS), Edna C. Alfaro, Roseann Bacha-Garza, Margaret E. Dorsey, Sonia Hernández, and Russell K. Skowronek
From Porciones to Colonias: The Power of Place- and Community-Based Learning in K-12 Education redefines culturally relevant learning in today’s diverse classroom. By integrating an interdisciplinary approach including: anthropology, archeology, biology, geology, and history the CHAPS Program presents an effective method in supporting teachers of the Rio Grande Valley in creating culturally relevant curriculum, while meeting the demands of state and federal mandates.
Sponsored by The National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Further studies in Rio Grande Valley history
Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, and Antonio Zavaleta
Salt: basis of wealth in South Texas / David J. Mycue -- The Zavaleta Family : a legacy of public service / Antonio N. Zavaleta and James E. Zavaleta with Theresa Zavaleta -- Carnaval y fiestas Mexicanas de Matamoros / Rosaura Alicia Davila -- A history of the development of Brazos Santiago Pass / Carl Chilton -- El Retraso español y su interés final por la colonización del Bajo Bravo / Arturo Zarate Ruiz - Fugitive slaves and free Blacks in South Texas / Alberto Rodriguez -- reporting from the Rio Grande : how the press saw the Brownsville area before, during, and after the Civil War / Bill Young -- The international entanglements at the Battles of Palmito Ranch / Lyon Rathbun -- The secret mission of Lew Wallace / Sondra Shands -- The legacy of the Texas Rangers on the Texas-Mexico border in light of the emergence of the Texas Minutemen / Joseph E. Chance and Milo Kearney -- The Brownsville Herald and the changing views of local German Americans and Mexican Americans during World War 1 / Gerhard Grytz -- Promoting Valley tourism in the 1920s : a case of competition and ambivalence / Robin Robinson -- Conflicto del Municipio con la Compania de Luz y Fuerza / Andres F. Cuellar -- A history of the Los Fresnos Chamber of Commerce / James A. Keillor -- Adios Harlingen A.F.B.! : a look at a community's response to the closing of Harlingen Air Force Base, 1962-1970 / Thomas Britten -- Coping with obstacles to development in the Rio Grande Valley : competitive issues in Brownsville and Matamoros / Anthony Knopp -- a brief history of the architecture of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre area / Edward P. Meza -- The muse of art in the Brownsville Region / Milo Kearney and Carlos G. Gomez -- Street names of Brownsville / Mimosa Stephenson -- From terror in Eastern Europe to Southern Texas : Holocaust survivors in Brownsville / Helmut Langerbein -- Marshall C. Nichols, manager of the Charro Drive-in, 1950-1961 / Milo and Vivian Kearney -- A memoire of the Brownsville Alliance Francaise / Milo and Vivian Kearney -- Tombside tales / Chula T. Griffin -- Culture pioneers of the Valley : Narciso Martinez and Americo Paredes / Manuel Medrano -- Filemon B. Vela : justice on the border / Roman R. Perez -- Yolanda Gonzalez Zuniga : una mujer de acción / Elia Garcia Cruz.
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Harlingen Golden Anniversary Celebration, April 24-30, 1960 Official Program
City of Harlingen and Verna Jackson McKenna
Booklet highlighting important historical events that occurred in Harlingen and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Included are histories of local brands, stores, organizations, government, and attractions.
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Hidalgo Irrigation Pumphouse : Preserving Hidalgo Heritage
Lauraine Miller and Hidalgo Chamber of Commerce
Physical item available at the UTRGV Special Collections & Archives Edinburg Campus. Link to record.
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Historical Landmarks of Brownsville Part 1
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
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Historical Landmarks of Brownsville Part 2
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
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Historical Landmarks of Brownsville Part 3
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
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Historical Landmarks of Brownsville Part 4
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
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Historical Landmarks of Brownsville Part 5
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
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History of Fort Brown
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
Brochure includes brief descriptions of the following: The First Fort and the War with Mexico, The Second Fort and the Civil War, The Third Fort, Dr. Gorgas Fights Yellow Fever, The Brownsville Raid, National Cemetery at Fort Brown, The Mexican Revolution, Ghostly Happenings, Fort Brown and the Brownsville Community, Closure of Fort Brown, and The Historic Fort Buildings.
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History of Hidalgo County elected officials from 1852 to 1963
J. Lee Stambaugh and Shannon Pensa
From John Closner and Family collection, publication compiled for Pharr Press by Lee Stambaugh, Austin, Texas, 1963. Booklet lists Hidalgo County Elected Officials by year, office, and name. Also includes supplement listing officials representing Hidalgo County at the state level.
History of Hidalgo County elected officials from 1852 to 1963, 1963, Container: 39, Box: 4, Folder: 12. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Special Collections and Archives, Edinburg Campus. https://archives.lib.utrgv.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/80831
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In Rio Grande Valley Paradise : Sharyland : where nature produces the world's sweetest citrus fruits
Southwestern Land Company (Mission, Tex.)
Hand-colored promotional booklet highlighting the Southwestern Land Company in Mission, Texas.
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Just a Ferry Ride to Freedom
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program (CHAPS)
This film showcases stories about the Texas-Mexico border and its connection to the Underground Railroad. Rooted in pre-Civil War Texas along the Rio Grande between the emerging cities of Laredo and Brownsville, this film highlights mixed-race ranches in Hidalgo County and illustrates how culturally diverse the Rio Grande Valley really is. Lifeways developed during that time still influence life along the border and across the US today. Featured in the film are community leaders, ranchers, scholars, and historians who find out how a just a ferry ride across the border to freedom altered the course of US history.
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Kraigher house by Richard Neutra, Brownsville, Texas
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
In 2005, The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College entered into an agreement with the city of Brownsville to restore the nearby, endangered Kraigher House, a gem designed by renowned architect Richard Neutra.
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Lithic Raw Materials in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, South Texas and Northeast Mexico
Brandi Reger, Juan L. Gonzalez, and Russell K. Skowronek
Analysis of 976 lithic artifacts from twelve museum and private collections in the Lower Rio Grande Valley revealed a preference for seven rock types. Sixty nine percent of all tools were made from gravel chert, which is locally the most abundant rock type on the Frio and Goliad Formations, as well as on the gravels of the Rio Grande. Representing less than 10% each were, the local El Sauz Chert, a black banded metamorphic rock, volcanic rocks, agates, silicified wood, limestone and black chert. Variations in the relative proportion of each rock type are observed by location, suggesting a tendency to use other suitable rocks that were locally available. Contrary to what has been suggested an abundance of lithic resources were available to stone tool makers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. This study underscores the value of working with collectors in regions where little archaeological research has been conducted.
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Lloyd's magazine - The story of the Rio Grande Valley and other big features
Everett Lloyd
Black and white magazine. Story pertaining to the Rio Grande Valley: "The truth about the Rio Grande Valley and its builders".
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Los Del Valle Oral History Project
Manuel F. Medrano
The Los del Valle Oral History Project began in 1992 with the objectives of collecting and preserving the historical recollections of people in South Texas researched by scholars and underdocumented in archives and published research. Some interviewees have received national acclaim, such as folklorist and scholar Americo Paredes, conjunto pioneers Narciso Martinez and Eva Ybarra, writer Carmen Tafolla and Medal of Honor recipient Jose M. Lopez. Also included are Benito Trevino, ethnobotanist from Rio Grande City and Mary Helen Berlanga, educational proponent from Corpus Christi. This is one of the first oral history collections about Mexican Americans in Texas to be preserved on videotape. Thirty edited volumes and numerous unedited profiles are on loan at the Latin American Studies Collection in the Nettie Benson Library at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Luna Farming Legacy: A Porción of Edinburg
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools Program (CHAPS), Roseann Bacha-Garza, Russell K. Skowronek, Juan L. Gonzalez, Lorena Bryan, Evelyn Cantu, Melinda Cantu, Myrabel Cantu, Leann Castillo, and Amancio Chapa IV
Descendants of Spanish Colonial settlers have been practicing subsistence farming along the Rio Grande for over 250 years. As that same river became the international boundary between the US and Mexico in 1848, landownership and the landscape began to change. As issues in Mexico such as the Mexican Revolution pushed families over the river into the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, many folks established themselves as farmers alongside the new arrivals from the American Midwest in the early 1900s. The guarantee of successful year-round farming was a prominent theme and the Lunas were willing and able to embark on that challenge. As their life in the US began with some time in Los Ebanos, the family eventually found themselves purchasing land and farming in Edinburg. Today Luna family members are still farming in a section of northwest Edinburg fondly referred to as "Lunaville" by fellow farmers.
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McAllen, Texas, the city of palms
McAllen Chamber of Commerce (Tex.) and Johnston Printing & Advertising Company
Hand-colored promotional booklet highlighting McAllen, Texas.
