Los Ebanos, Texas

Everything Los Ebanos is known for

1 song mention this city 0 artists from here

Music in Los Ebanos

Songs About Los Ebanos

leavin' texas
jerry jeff walker
10%

Artists From Los Ebanos

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Los Ebanos

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Los Ebanos.

Rio Grande / Río Bravo 163 songs Rio Grande / Río Bravo 250 songs

History of Los Ebanos

Los Ebanos, TX RoadyGoat

Los Ebanos feels like a place where time slows down, and much of that feeling comes from the river. The Rio Grande is right there, of course, but it's also the ebony trees, the ebenopsis ebano, that give the town its name and a kind of solid, rooted feeling. They're beautiful, those trees, and they're more than just pretty. They're a reminder of the cross-border trade that's been the lifeblood of this community for generations. That trade really took off because of where we sit, a little higher than the riverbed itself, making it a good spot for a crossing. And that's where the hand-pulled ferry comes in. It's more than just a way to get across the river; it's a living piece of history. It's a direct link to the days when Los Ebanos was a key point for commerce between the U.S. and Mexico. Even with the changes to the river's flow from the International Boundary and Water Commission, that ferry still runs, still connecting people, still keeping that old spirit alive.

Los Ebanos, TX RoadyGoat

Los Ebanos, Texas. Just saying the name brings a certain feeling to mind — a quiet stillness, like time moves a little slower here.

Los Ebanos, TX RoadyGoat

Los Ebanos sits just a breath above the Rio Grande, a subtle rise in the land that makes all the difference when the river swells. The soil here is rich, alluvial, built up over centuries by the river's patient work, perfect for the agriculture that sustains so many families. But it’s the ebony trees that truly define the landscape – their dark, gnarled branches reaching out like ancient arms, providing shade and a sense of timelessness. You can almost feel the history seeping from the ground, a quiet echo of the early settlers who recognized the value of this border crossing, this natural bridge between two worlds. The river, of course, is everything. It's a source of life, a dividing line, and a connection all at once. The hand-pulled ferry, a tradition kept alive for generations, speaks volumes about the ingenuity and resilience of the people here. It’s a practical solution born of necessity, yes, but also a symbol of the unique relationship Los Ebanos has with the river. Even the work of the International Boundary and Water Commission, which altered the river’s natural flow, couldn’t erase the deep connection between the land and its people. The bobcats still prowl the brushlands, the ebony trees still stand sentinel, and Los Ebanos retains that feeling of stepping back in time, a place where the past is palpable.

Los Ebanos Ferry Crossing

1740

Apparently this is an ancient ford. First recorded usage was by Spanish explorers and colonists under Jose de Escandon in 1740s on the Rio Grande. A salt trail led from here to El Sal del Rey (40 miles northeast). The ford was used by Mexican war troops, 1846; by Texas Rangers chasing cattle rustlers, 1874; by smugglers in many eras, especially during the American prohibition years, 1920s and '30s. The ferry and inspection station were established in 1950. Named for the ebony trees here, this is known as the only government-licensed, hand-pulled ferry on any boundary of the United States. (1974)

Historical Marker →

Hidalgo County's First Oil Well

1934

John M. Lawrence No. 1 oil well was brought in September 18, 1934, near this site by veteran driller Otto C. Woods. Well flowed 1,000 or more barrels a day. At first the oil formed a lake beside the well. County has produced 20 million barrels of oil. (1968)

Historical Marker →

Nellie Leo Schunior School

1890

This school's roots lie in the former town of Havana (2 mi. S), where between 1890 and 1944 area children, most of whom lived on nearby ranches, attended classes in a one-room schoolhouse. Nellie Leo Schunior (1878-1920), who later became the first superintendent of Chapin (now Edinburg) schools, taught in Havana from 1913 until 1916. Several years after her death, persistent flooding of the Rio Grande caused Havana residents to relocate their town to this area. They renamed the town La Joya, and built a new school in 1926 which they named in Schunior's honor. (1992)

Historical Marker → · 4.4 mi away

La Joya, TX

1749

La Joya is on U.S. Highway 83 between Mission and Rio Grande City in Hidalgo County. Its name, meaning "the jewel," was derived from a small natural lake just west of the city; the lake was said by the early settlers to shine in the sun like a jewel. The site on which La Joya was founded was part of what was known as Los Ejidos de Reynosa Viejo. The ejidos were the shared grazing lands used for the livestock of the settlers of Reynosa Viejo. These settlers had been brought in on March 14, 1749, by José de Escandón to form this settlement. Many La Joya residents of the 1990s trace their ancestry to the Escandón settlers. During the early 1800s, at the site of what is now La Joya, Francisco de la Garza, a descendent of the early colonizers of the area, founded a community, called Tabasco, adjacent to the northern bank of the Rio Grande. It was a prosperous community that died out after floods in 1908 and 1909. The settlers moved their belongings just north to higher and less flood-prone ground. Then in 1926 J. H. Smith, a land developer from Houston, came to the community and convinced the residents that they could best be served by having an incorporated city. An election held that year resulted in the incorporation of a new city named La Joya. Felix R. Vela was elected the first mayor; Alejandro Solis and Pablo Trevino were elected commissioners. By the 1930s the town had two businesses, a school, and a number of scattered dwellings. The Great Depression limited development, and the municipal government lay dormant until 1965, when a community leader and political activist named Leo J. Leo and other residents petitioned for a special city election. The petition was granted by the county judge, and in April 1965 Leo was elected mayor and Guadalupe Alaniz and Arnoldo Trevino, commissioners. By 1940 La Joya had seven businesses and a population estimated at 175. The population stayed at about that level until 1972, when it rose to 1,217. In 1982 La Joya had 2,018 residents and thirteen businesses, and in 1990 it had 2,604 residents and six businesses. By 2000 there were 3,303 residents and forty-nine businesses.

Tsha Handbook → · 4.9 mi away

Villareal, Bruno

1928

Bruno Villareal, accordionist, was born in La Grulla, Texas, on October 6, 1901. According to stories told by Narciso Martínez , "father" of Texas-Mexican conjunto music, during the 1930s Villareal lived on a ranchito three miles from Santa Rosa, at the north end of the lower Rio Grande valley. Although he was half blind, he walked every day into town to play his accordion for whatever money was offered. At times, he was also hired out to play at bailes de negocio or other kinds of celebrations. Villareal was nicknamed "El Azote del Valle" (the Scourge from the Valley) and is today still remembered by people as far north as Amarillo, where he once played in the streets with a tin cup attached to his piano accordion, an instrument he used from the late 1930s onward. He originally played a two-row button accordion, but switched to a piano accordion later in his career. In the early 1930s, conjunto players such as he used the left-hand bass and right-hand treble chord elements of the accordion. Villareal was among the first accordionists to become popular in South Texas through phonograph records, and he made the first recording of the accordion in 1928. By the 1930s, often backed by a bajo sexto (twelve-string bass guitar), he was an acknowledged master. During this time música norteña or conjunto became the music of choice among the Mexican-American working class. This music enjoyed a great popularity in the area known to Mexicans as el Norte , the region bounded by South Texas and the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and Coahuila. Villareal apparently was the first accordionist to secure a long-term relationship with a major label. The OKeh label recorded him on June 12, 1930, and continued to do so for the next several years. Consequently, he is generally recognized as the first conjunto accordionist on records. His style was traditional, with almost equal emphasis on melody and bass. Villareal and fellow accordionists José Rodríguez and Jesús Casiano relied heavily on their left-hand, bass-and-chord elements for the accordion sets. This set them apart from Narciso Martínez, who began almost immediately to de-emphasize that side of the accordion in favor of more marked and better articulated melody lines at the treble end. After World War II , Mexican-American music continued to evolve, and the accordion continued to play a central role. However, as some accordionists, such as Narciso Martínez and Santiago Jiménez , grew in popularity, others such as Jesús Casiano and Villareal, who were unwilling or unable to meet new musical challenges, all but disappeared from the commercial market. In his later years, Villareal lived at his home in Robstown. He died on November 3, 1976.

Tsha Handbook → · 6.4 mi away

Things to Do in Los Ebanos

spooky 20.1 mi away
La Lechuza

In the Rio Grande Valley a giant owl-witch called La Lechuza hunts at night. She is said to be the ghost of a mother whose children were killed by a drunk…
quirky 20.6 mi away
World's Largest Killer Bee

A 2000-pound steel-and-fiberglass killer bee statue stands outside Hidalgo City Hall. It commemorates the first U.S. arrival of Africanized honey bees near the…

Everything Near Los Ebanos

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

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