Resaca de la Palma Battlefield National Historical Park in Brownsville, Texas is the site that marks the beginning of the fight for the Texas/Mexico border. In March of 1846 the US army led by General Zachary Taylor marched into the area and established a fort. He raised the US flag over his post to claim the Rio Grande River as the southern border of Texas.
The Resaca de la Palma trail is about a half mile long. It’s a great place for a family hike to get a little exercise while taking in some history. Plan at least a half an hour to walk the trail and learn about the battlefield.
Now in the Brownsville city limits, the area is cleared with roads and lined with homes. At the time however this was miles of thick, thorny, underbrush. General Zachary Taylor’s initial clash with Mexican forces here was the beginning of a two year war over the boundary.
A resaca is a dry channel of the river. Although now the resaca is flowing with water, at the time this would have been dry.
While most of the land has been cleared, there are still areas of dense brambly thickets that you can see. Imagining the entire area like this it’s hard to believe the hand to hand combat that occurred here. Many people lost their lives. The war that started at Resaca de la Palma ended only after U.S. troops occupied the Mexican capital two years later. Only then did Mexican officials begin to negotiate and recognize the Rio Grande as the international border. A treaty was signed on February 2, 1848 and also declared that Mexicans occupying those lands would gain rights as United States citizens.
You can read more about the battle >>>>Resaca de le Palma or just plan to visit and walk the area where it happened. A walking tour is available to dial and listen on your phone as you make your way around Resaca de la Palma Park.
I would love to take the family there. We’ve always loved visiting battlesites together. It’s amazing to stand on a piece of land and realize that, at one time, men fought and died in the exact spot you’re standing in.
History is so much more real to me to read about what happened right there!
I have a friend from Texas who told me once that this battle and a couple of others were taught to them in elementary school. It would be nice to see this in person and relive what he told us about it.
Wow what an amazing place to get to go and explore. I bet it has such a tremendous feeling about it. I would love to get to go and visit myself.
I have never been any battle sites and it looks like a nice to place and I am sure you will feel and different feeling once you been there like a proud person because you are in the place where in the past there are people fought for your freedom.
I have actually never visited a battle site but this is a great educational place to take the family. Already just in one post I learned a lot – I can only imagine how fascinating it would be to visit the actual site.
I do love to visit places to learn more about history. It is the best way to learn in my opinion.
Thank you for sharing this little piece of history. I would love to visit the Resaca de la Palma battlefield national park one day.
I love History and tours. I have a friend trying to make her way through many places like this. I’m going to tell her.
Growing up my parents took our family to all of the Civil War battlefields. I’d love to experience more American history and check out this location. It looks like a great day outing.