Viva Texas! by Garland & Patsy.

Garland and I were on our way to South Padre Island on Hwy. 100 and had reached Los Fresnos when I saw a sign telling us that Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site (part of the National Park System) was South on FM1847.

I said, "Let's go check it out."

We drove south on FM1847 for 2-3 miles and found it. We found out that the first battle of the Mexican War was fought here in May of 1846. This war was prompted by the United States' annexation of Texas in 1845 and by the U.S. claim that the Rio Grande was the southern boundary of Texas rather than the Nueces River as claimed by Mexico. (The effect of this claim was, of course, a greatly enlarged Texas.)

The Visitor Center has a 15-minute video which gives an excellent summary of the events leading to the outbreak of the Mexican War. The war which began here in 1846 lasted for 2 years and ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in which Mexico ceded all of California, Nevada, and Utah, along with parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming to the U.S. (the Mexican Cession) Thus, Mexico lost over one-half of its national territory.

Along with the small but interesting Visitors' Center, there is a one-mile walking trail to the battlefield. You can also drive to a parking lot which provides easier access to the battlefield overlook (about a 350 yard walk). You see the same exhibits on either walk. I think that the most enjoyable time of year to do this would be in the fall when it is cooler. (Also, it helps to be a history buff.)

Nearby is the site of the Battle of Palmito Ranch, the last battle of the American Civil War (or, the War Between the States, as some Southerners prefer). This battle was fought May 12-13, 1865, weeks after other major Confederate armies had surrendered at Appomatox. "When the engagement ended on the afternoon of May 13, with a decisive rout of Federal troops, the Confederacy had prevailed in the last battle of the American Civil War. At present, the only indication that a major event took place here is a small historic marker placed on the Boca Chica Hwy. (Hwy. 4) by the State of Texas.

So, within a few miles of each other, you have the location of the beginning of one major war and the ending of another.