Timeline of Brownsville, Texas

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Brownsville, Texas, USA.

18th-19th centuries[edit]

1771 - José Salvador de la Garza settles in area per Espíritu Santo land grant.^[1]^[2]^[3]
1846
- March: Fort Taylor established by Zachary Taylor.^[4]^[5]
- May 8: Battle of Palo Alto.^[4]
1848 - Brownsville founded by Charles Stillman.^[6]^[5]
1849
- Travellers of the California Gold Rush pass through town.^[6]
- Stillman house built.^[6]
- Brownsville Lyceum founded.^[7]
1850
- Market Square built.^[8]
- Sentinel newspaper begins publication.^[9]
- Population: 2,734.
1853 - "Police force" established.^[10]
1859
- First Cortina War.^[5]
- Immaculate Conception Church built.^[6]
1863 - November 2–6: Battle of Brownsville; Union wins.^[4]
1865
- May 12–13: Battle of Palmito Ranch fought near Brownsville; Confederates win.^[4]
- Saint Joseph Academy established.^[4]
1867 - Hurricane.^[9]
1870
- Point Isabel-Brownsville railway built.^[6]
- Population: 4,905.
1874 - Roman Catholic apostolic vicariate of Brownsville established.^[11]
1875 - Porfirio Díaz plots Mexican coup from his temporary base in Brownsville.^[12]^[6]
1877 - Alonso house built.^[8]
1878 - Sabas Cavazos Cemetery established.^[3]^[10]
1883 - Cameron County Courthouse built.^[10]
1890 - Population: 6,134.^[4]
1892 - Daily Herald newspaper begins publication.^[13]
1900 - Population: 6,305.^[4]

20th century[edit]

1903 - St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway begins operating.^[6]
1906 - August: Brownsville Affair (racial unrest).^[4]^[14]
1907 - Snakeville in business.^[15]^[16]
1910
- Brownsville & Matamoros International Bridge opens.^[10]
- Dittmann Theater (cinema) built.^[15]
- Population: 10,517.^[4]
1913 - County Jail built.^[10]
1914 - New Cameron County Courthouse built.
1926 - Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley established.
1927 - KGFI radio begins broadcasting.^[17]
1930 - Population: 22,021.
1934 - El Heraldo de Brownsville newspaper begins publication.^[13]
1936 - Port of Brownsville opens.^[14]
1938 - Matamoros-Brownsville Charro Days Festival begins.^[18]
1945 - U.S. Army Fort Brown decommissioned.
1946 - Teatro Victoria in business.^[19]
1949 - Charro Drive-In cinema and Majestic Theatre in business.^[19]
1950
- Texas Southmost College active.
- Population: 35,086.
1960
- Stillman House Museum opens.^[8]
- Population: 48,040.
1965 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville established.^[11]
1970 - Population: 52,522.
1971 - Gladys Porter Zoo established.^[20]
1978 - Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site established. (Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park since 2009.)
1979 - Brownsville Urban System (transport) established.
1980 - Population: 84,997.
1990 - Population: 98,962.
1991
- University of Texas at Brownsville active.
- Pat Ahumada becomes mayor.
1997 - City website online (approximate date).^[21]^{[chronology citation needed]}
1999 - Blanca Vela becomes mayor.
2000 - Population: 139,722.

21st century[edit]

2001 - El Nuevo Heraldo newspaper in publication.^[13]
2007 - Pat Ahumada becomes mayor again.
2010 - Population: 175,023.^[22]
2013 - Filemon Vela, Jr. becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 34th congressional district.^[23]
2018 - Trey Mendez elected mayor

References[edit]

^ Simons 1996.
^ Armando C. Alonzo (1998). Tejano Legacy: Rancheros and Settlers in South Texas, 1734-1900. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-2850-2.
^ ^a ^b Awbrey 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Britannica 1910.
^ ^a ^b ^c Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1960, p. 164, OL 5812502M
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Federal Writers' Project 1940.
^ Davies Project. "American Libraries before 1876". Princeton University. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Our Locations". Brownsville Historical Association. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Major Historical Events (timeline)". Brownsville & Matamoros History. University of Texas at Brownsville. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Historical Landmarks of Brownsville". Brownsville & Matamoros History. University of Texas at Brownsville. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: USA". Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ Paul Garner (2014). "Chronology". Porfirio Diaz. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-88705-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Federal Writers' Project 1940, p. 671: "Chronology"
^ ^a ^b Gene Fowler (2008). Mavericks: A Gallery of Texas Characters. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71819-7.
^ "Makes His Living by Boarding Fifty Thousand Snakes". Illustrated World. 37. Chicago. June 1922. OCLC 1752683.
^ Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Texas", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
^ "Handbook of Texas Online". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Movie Theaters in Brownsville, TX". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ Vernon N. Kisling, Jr., ed. (2001). "Zoological Gardens of the United States (chronological list)". Zoo and Aquarium History. USA: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-3924-5.
^ "Brownsville Texas Home Page". Archived from the original on 1997-01-03 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
^ "Brownsville city, Texas". QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
^ Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

Bibliography[edit]

"Brownsville". Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. Detroit: R.L. Polk & Co. 1890 – via Internet Archive.
W. H. Chatfield, The Twin Cities of the Border and the Country of the Lower Rio Grande (New Orleans: Brandao, 1893)
"Brownsville" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). 1910. p. 675.
Federal Writers' Project (1940), "Brownsville", Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State, American Guide Series, New York: Hastings House, hdl:2027/mdp.39015002677667 – via HathiTrust{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) + chronology
Betty Bay. Historic Brownsville: Original Townsite Guide (Brownsville, Texas: Brownsville Historical Association, 1980)
Robert B. Vezzetti and Ruby A. Wooldridge, Brownsville: A Pictorial History (Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning, 1982)
Milo Kearney, ed., Studies in Brownsville History (Pan American University at Brownsville, 1986)
Milo Kearney and Anthony Knopp, Boom and Bust: The Historical Cycles of Matamoros and Brownsville (Austin: Eakin Press, 1991)
Milo Kearney, ed., Still More Studies in Brownsville History (University of Texas at Brownsville, 1991)
Helen Simons; Cathryn A. Hoyt, eds. (1996). "Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley: Brownsville". A Guide to Hispanic Texas (Abridged ed.). University of Texas Press. pp. 81+. ISBN 978-0-292-77709-5.
Carl S. Chilton (2010). Historic Brownsville: an Illustrated History. San Antonio, Tx.: Historical Publishing Network. ISBN 978-1-935377-15-3.
Betty Dooley Awbrey; Stuart Awbrey (2013). "Brownsville". Why Stop?: A Guide to Texas Roadside Historical Markers (6th ed.). Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 63+. ISBN 978-1-58979-790-1.

External links[edit]

"Brownsville". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Austin, TX.
"Historical Maps of Texas Cities: Brownsville". Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection. University of Texas at Austin.
Alicia A. Garza; Christopher Long. "Brownsville, TX". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
Items related to Brownsville, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).

[FOOTNOTESimons1996-1] Simons 1996.

[Alonzo1998-2] Armando C. Alonzo (1998). Tejano Legacy: Rancheros and Settlers in South Texas, 1734-1900. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-2850-2.

[FOOTNOTEAwbrey2013-3] Awbrey 2013.

[FOOTNOTEBritannica1910-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Britannica 1910.

[webster1960-5] Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1960, p. 164, OL 5812502M

[FOOTNOTEFederal_Writers'_Project1940-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Federal Writers' Project 1940.

[davies-7] Davies Project. "American Libraries before 1876". Princeton University. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[BHA-locations-8] "Our Locations". Brownsville Historical Association. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[eventsUTB-9] "Major Historical Events (timeline)". Brownsville & Matamoros History. University of Texas at Brownsville. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[LandmarksUTB-10] "Historical Landmarks of Brownsville". Brownsville & Matamoros History. University of Texas at Brownsville. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[katolsk-11] "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: USA". Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[Garner2014-12] Paul Garner (2014). "Chronology". Porfirio Diaz. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-88705-8.

[LOC-13] "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[FOOTNOTEFederal_Writers'_Project1940671-14] Federal Writers' Project 1940, p. 671: "Chronology"

[Fowler2008-15] Gene Fowler (2008). Mavericks: A Gallery of Texas Characters. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71819-7.

[16] "Makes His Living by Boarding Fifty Thousand Snakes". Illustrated World. 37. Chicago. June 1922. OCLC 1752683.

[Alicoate1939-17] Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Texas", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636

[TSHA-handbook-18] "Handbook of Texas Online". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[cinema-19] "Movie Theaters in Brownsville, TX". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[Kisling2001-20] Vernon N. Kisling, Jr., ed. (2001). "Zoological Gardens of the United States (chronological list)". Zoo and Aquarium History. USA: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-3924-5.

[21] "Brownsville Texas Home Page". Archived from the original on 1997-01-03 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.

[22] "Brownsville city, Texas". QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

[GovTrack-23] Civic Impulse, LLC. "Members of Congress". GovTrack. Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 27, 2016.

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18th-19th centuries[edit]

20th century[edit]

21st century[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]