Weslaco, Texas

Everything Weslaco is known for

3 songs mention this city 0 artists from here

Music in Weslaco

Songs About Weslaco

De Pharr a Weslaco
Los Dos Rancheros
80%
heard it all before
bob wayne
20%
leavin' texas
jerry jeff walker
10%

Artists From Weslaco

No artists from Weslaco in the database yet.

Rivers & Roads in Song near Weslaco

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Weslaco.

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

History of Weslaco

Engineering a Better Grapefruit RoadyGoat

One of Weslaco's biggest contributions to the world grew in a lab. Right here in town sits the citrus research station founded as the Texas A&I University Citrus Center — today the Texas A&M-Kingsville Citrus Center — where scientists have been solving agricultural problems for decades. Its most famous success story is the Texas red grapefruit. In the mid-20th century, the existing varieties had a red that faded as the season wore on. Dr. Richard Hensz, a horticulturist at the Weslaco center, started irradiating grapefruit seeds and budwood to induce genetic mutations. It was a painstaking process of trial and error. But in 1970, this atomic gardening produced a stunning success: 'Star Ruby,' grown from irradiated Hudson seeds, with deep red flesh that held its color and almost none of the seeds its parent had. Fourteen years later came the even more successful 'Rio Red,' that one raised from irradiated budwood. These varieties, bred right here in Weslaco, remade the citrus industry and made the Rio Grande Valley famous for its grapefruit.

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The Queen City of Citrus RoadyGoat

For most of its history, Weslaco's fortune was made of grapefruit. The town got its name from the W. E. Stewart Land Company, which bought thirty thousand acres of irrigated country here in 1917, and the townsite was platted in 1919. Developers found the climate and the soil were near perfect for citrus. By the 1930s and 40s Weslaco was a hub of the booming industry — stand near the railroad tracks back then and you'd be overwhelmed by the sweet smell of oranges and grapefruit. A depot went up in 1927 and pulled in canning plants, dehydrating plants and a box factory, and the sheds along the line were worked by thousands of hands, most of them women, sorting and packing the fruit that made the Rio Grande Valley famous. The Weslaco Citrus Growers Association organized in 1940 and put out Texsun grapefruit juice, and the Texas A&I Citrus Center opened here in 1948. Weslaco had a name of its own, too: the City with the Neon Skyline.

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The Lifeline to Progreso RoadyGoat

To understand Weslaco, you have to look a few miles south to the Rio Grande. That’s where you’ll find the Progreso International Bridge, a vital economic and cultural lifeline for this city. The bridge connects the area to the Mexican town of Nuevo Progreso, a bustling hub for shopping and, notably, affordable medical and dental tourism. For decades, Americans have crossed this bridge for prescriptions, dental work, and eyeglasses, creating a unique cross-border economy. But the connection is more than just commerce. For thousands of families in the Weslaco area, the bridge is a link to relatives, culture, and heritage on the other side. It turns the international border not into a barrier, but into a busy, two-way street that shapes daily life, making Weslaco a true gateway city.

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Cpl. Harlon Block, USMC

1945

During World War II, U.S. forces captured the small yet strategic Japanese-held Pacific Island of Iwo Jima. On Feb. 23, 1945, during combat, marine Harlon Block aided in laying telephone wire up an inert volcano. At the summit, Block and five others improvised a flagpole, attaching a flag visible to those on the island and outlying ships. In doing so, Block and his fellow servicemen became the subject of one of the most recognized photographic images of World War II, the U.S. flag raising on Mt. Suribachi. On Mar. 1, 1945, his squad leader was killed. Block took command, but was tragically killed hours later. His remains were repatriated in 1949 to his hometown of Weslaco and in 1995 to the Iwo Jima monument in Harlingen. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836 - 2011

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Citrus Fruit Developed in Rio Grande Valley - Red-Meat Grapefruit

1929

Unique and colorful product of saline-alkaline soil of Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Bred of Thompson Pink Wood budded on Sour Orange rootstock. Two nurserymen, A. E. Henninger of Mission and Dr. J. R. Webb of Donna, discovered red fruit in their orchards in 1929. They cast lots and Henninger won right to get a patent. He named his variety "Ruby Red," and was issued U.S. Plant Patent No. 53. Dr. Webb's new strain, "Red Blush," is equally popular. Both varieties, with rose-colored meat and red-tinged rinds, are sweet, early, delectable fruits. (1966)

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American Legion Hall

1920

Donna Border Post No. 107. Dedicated 1920. First American Legion Hall built or owned by any post in the world. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964

Historical Marker → · 4.2 mi away

Herrera, Juan William [Johnny]

1945

Johnny Herrera was a renowned orquestas Tejanas music composer, singer, and songwriter born on February 9, 1930, in Mercedes, Texas, to Sebastian and Sarah C. (Solis) Herrera. He attended Mercedes High School, where he was the first male cheerleader. Herrera later attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, and North Texas State Teachers College (now University of North Texas) in Denton where he completed a bachelor's degree in harmony and composition and English in 1959. He was married to Sara Prado Herrera, who died in 1981. There is no record of Herrera having children or of his religious affiliation. Herrera's career in music spanned over five decades during which he recorded more than 400 songs, many of which were later recorded by top artists. His fondness for music began at an early age. Although raised in a Spanish-speaking household, Herrera's initial musical interest was not in Spanish-language music. Instead, his biggest influence was Frank Sinatra and the big-band sound. Herrera stated that if the radio in his home was playing Mexican music, he would change the station. He recalled that a family trip to Monterrey, Mexico, changed his outlook and gave him an appreciation of Mexican culture and music. Herrera commented, "Maybe it was the charm and grace of the people, their way of expressing themselves in Spanish, the beauty of the countryside. I sensed the earth, the long history of the place and I became a Mexican by heart." When he was only fifteen, Herrera was playing regular shows at the Madrid Club on Leopard Street in Corpus Christi and other local venues. Around that same time, he traveled to Armando Marroquín 's Ideal Records in Alice, but the trip was almost for nothing until Carmen Marroquín expressed interest in his song "Un Mal Amor." A few years later, while Herrera was in the U. S. Army and stationed at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos ), the 78 rpm of his song on Ideal profoundly influenced him to pursue music rather than a career in the military. In 1949 Herrera, at the age of nineteen, released his record "Veneno"/"De Rodillas Vendras" which received considerable attention in the Southwest and Rio Grande Valley. "De Rodillas Vendras" was recorded by Mexican artist Maria Victoria on RCA Victor. She was the first of many Mexican artists to record Herrera's songs, which helped to disrupt barriers between Mexican and Texan music. That same year he recorded what is regarded as the first country song recorded by a Tejano artist, "Jealous Heart." In 1951 Herrera started his own label, Gaviota Records, and formed his own band, Johnny Herrera y Su Orquesta. His first major success, "Por Ningun Motivo,"gained acceptance and was recorded by several popular musicians, including Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. He made the addition of two saxophones and an accordion to the orquesta to differentiate his music from music from Mexico. He further distinguished his music by adding the category "Tejano," preferring to identify his style of music as blues Tejano or bolero Tejano. Herrera and his band toured the Southwest, but an auto accident near Roswell, New Mexico, along with Herrera becoming tired of the road, ended the touring. After Herrera received his college education, he taught grade school for a short time before opening the House of Music, a record store specializing in Spanish-language music, in 1961. Located in Corpus Christi on South Port and Buford Avenue, the House of Music became a noted hangout for international artists as well as aspiring local performers such as Freddy Martinez and Abraham Quintanilla, a singer for the original Los Dinos and father of Selena . Herrera's musical impact was significant and was performed by such singing greats as Lucha Villa, Chelo Silva , and Mercedes Castro. His songs became hits in Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, South America, and Spain. His greatest accomplishment came when his song "Si Quieres Verme Llorar" was popularized by Tejano music singer Lisa Lopez in 1

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Sociedades Mutualistas

1890

Sociedades mutualistas provided Mexican Americans with crucial support, especially in the early twentieth century, when barrios from Weslaco, Texas, to Gary, Indiana, had active organizations. These groups resembled the mutual-aid associations of European immigrants in that many members emigrated from Mexico, brought the mutualist model with them, and sought a familiar haven in a new land. At the same time, however, mutualistas also resembled African-American mutual aid societies in that many members were native Texans who sought refuge from discrimination and economic deprivation. The groups endorsed various political ideas, but all emphasized cooperation, service, and protection. Mexican mutualistas served as important models for the first tejano groups. By 1890 over 100 mutualist associations had been formed in Mexico, with membership approaching 50,000. El Gran Círculo de Obreros de México had twenty-eight branches in twelve Mexican states by 1875. Although the dictator Porfirio Díaz banned the Círculo in 1883, it served as a model for the Gran Círculo de Obreros de Auxilios Mutuos of San Antonio, which operated from the 1890s to the 1920s. Texas and Mexican mutualistas corresponded and attended each other's festivities until the demise of the Mexican groups during the Mexican Revolution (1910–20), at which time the ranks of the Texas mutualistas swelled. This growth continued into the 1920s, when Corpus Christi had between ten and fifteen groups, Robstown four, and El Paso ten. San Antonio's groups numbered more than twenty, with an average membership of 200. In 1926 nine of these groups formed an alliance, La Alianza de Sociedades Mutualistas. Small towns such as Pearsall also founded sociedades mutualistas or joined those already active in the larger cities. Many of these organizations emphasized economic protection, education, and community service. They provided sickness and burial insurance, loans, legal aid, social and cultural activities, libraries, classes, leadership opportunities, and safe quarters for barrio events. Some mutualistas , however, were also trade unions. In 1917 one of the six labor mutualistas in San Antonio, Sociedad Morelos Mutua de Panaderos, staged a strike. It had lasted for a year when the United States Department of Labor mediated a settlement resulting in slightly higher wages and shorter hours. Still other mutualistas focused on civil rights. La Gran Liga Mexicanista de Beneficencia y Protección, founded in Laredo in 1911, fought, albeit with limited success, for the right of Mexican-American children to attend Anglo-American public schools. La Agrupación Protectiva Mexicana of San Antonio (1911–14) organized against lynchings and unjust sentencing, notably the Antonio Gómez lynching . The organization's successor, La Liga Protectora Mexicana (1917–20), advised farm workers throughout South Texas of their rights and attempted to strengthen state laws protecting tenants' shares of their landlords' crops. Many Mexican Texans also belonged to local branches of the Arizona association, La Liga Protectora Latina. Women participated in mutual-aid groups less than men. At least two female mutualistas existed in San Antonio between 1915 and 1930; about one-third of the others excluded women, one-third allowed women to join and hold office, and the rest formed female auxiliaries. Of the ten or so Corpus Christi mutualistas , at least one was for women. With the advent of the Great Depression, sociedades mutualistas rapidly declined. Operating with meager funds at the best of times, they quickly depleted their treasuries in loans to unemployed members, many of whom were sent back to Mexico by local public-assistance officials. In addition, a new generation of leaders matured after World War I . Some had participated in mutualistas , others not, but most by 1930 supported new organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens , which limited membership to United States citizens and s

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Weslaco, TX

1913

Weslaco, about fifteen miles west of Harlingen in south central Hidalgo County, is on U.S. Highway 83 and Farm Road 88. The site was part of the Llano Grande grant to Juan José Ynojosa de Ballí (1790). Upon Ynojosa's death the grant was divided among his children, and Manuela and María received the land on which Weslaco is situated. The Ballí family ranched and maintained ownership until 1852. In 1904 the Hidalgo and San Miguel extension of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway reached the site, promoted by Uriah Lott , Lon C. Hill, Jr. and others interested in developing the area through farming as opposed to traditional Hispanic ranching. The American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company of neighboring Mercedes, which had interest in the railroad, purchased a major portion of the Llano Grande grant and platted the West Tract in 1913. In an effort to control raids from Mexico, the United States government stationed troops along the Rio Grande in 1916 and established a camp at the Llano Grande railroad depot, located between Mercedes and the site of Weslaco. The guardsmen erected a watchtower at Progreso. On December 14, 1917, the irrigation company sold 30,000 acres at ninety dollars an acre to the W. E. Stewart Land Company, from which the name Weslaco is derived. The Stewart Company sold the townsite to Ed C. Couch, Dan R. Couch, R. C. Couch, and R. L. Reeves. The site was surveyed and platted on September 18, 1919, by H. E. Bennett, a civil engineer hired by Ed Couch and R. L. Reeves, whose partners had backed out of the venture in fear of failure. Neighboring communities distributed leaflets discouraging settlement at the proposed town. Nevertheless, the sale of lots was held on December 8–10, 1919, with prices ranging from $50 to $400 per lot. To make a claim, individuals had to choose a lot and camp on it until the day of the sale, during which lots were given free to church groups. The town's promoters gave away three cars during the sale. Mail in Weslaco was received from Mercedes until 1920, when Weslaco's first post office was opened. Also established in 1920 were the chamber of commerce, the Guaranty State Bank, and the Community House. Elementary school classes were held at the Community House, and high school students were driven to Donna. The first issue of the Weslaco News was published on October 29, 1920. Electricity came in December 1920 from the Donna Light and Ice Company. In 1921 the Weslaco Independent School District was established, the first high school opened, and the Texas Rangers opened a Weslaco station. The Valley Experiment Station was established in 1923 under the auspices of Texas A&M. It was later renamed Texas A&M University Agricultural Research Center. The Weslaco Fire Department was established in March 1924. A municipal ordinance of 1921 provided that the land north of the railroad tracks be designated for industry and Hispanic residences and businesses. The area to the south of the tracks was reserved for Anglo residences and businesses. This segregation was a consequence of the farm culture that had introduced the railroad. Weslaco developed as two cities. "El pueblo americano," as the Anglo side of town was called, consisted of well-built frame houses; it had paved streets and enclosed sewers. The Mexican side featured corrugated tin shacks, unpaved roads, and outhouses. Mexican women were supposed to shop on the Anglo side of town early on Saturdays only, and be back in "Mexican Town" by sunset. Streets north of the tracks had Spanish names, business was conducted in Spanish, and schools were established for Mexican children. In "American Town," streets were named for northern states. In the 1928 county election the Weslaco ballot box was rejected by Judge A. W. Cameron, an incumbent official whose victory was in question. Cameron, who evidently believed that he would have won the Hispanic vote of Weslaco, testified that Mexican-American voters had been intimidated by a cro

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Things to Do in Weslaco

historical 0.2 mi away
Weslaco, Texas (c. 1939, Russell Lee)
spooky 15.3 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 17.1 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…

Sports in Weslaco

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 6A · Softball · 2024

Weslaco Panthers — 2024 UIL 6A Softball State Champions

Most recent: 2024 6A

Weslaco High School, representing the heart of Weslaco, Texas, stands as a Class 6A powerhouse in high school softball. The Panthers have established a significant presence in the state, bringing home a UIL State Championship title. This achievement highlights the dedication and skill fostered within the program.

The 2024 6A State Championship marks a high point for Weslaco High softball. The team’s success reflects the competitive spirit and hard work put in each season, making their community proud. It's a reminder of the talent cultivated in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

State titles
2024
Most recent
2024
Class
6A
The moment

The 2024 6A State Championship was a memorable moment for Weslaco High School softball.

Sources: Wikipedia · UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Weslaco

335 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

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