Historical Marker

Rancho Viejo

Brownsville · Cameron County · Dedicated 1936 · THC Atlas #5061004181

The roadside stories worth pulling over for.

Marker Inscription

Here Jose Salvador de la Garza built his ranch El Espiritu Santo in 1771; First European settlement in Cameron County

About this site

Rancho Viejo is a historical marker in Brownsville, Cameron County, dedicated in 1936. It is one of 116 historical markers documented in Cameron County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 194 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 25.9851, -97.5209 near Brownsville. The nearest cataloged historic site is La Palma Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Brownsville, C.S.A., Cameron County, and Villa Nueva Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5061004181. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

History

This marker designates Rancho Viejo as the first European settlement in what is now Cameron County. Jose Salvador de la Garza established his ranch, El Espiritu Santo, at this location around 1770-71, and in 1779 he received the vast Potrero del Espiritu Santo land grant of more than 261,000 acres. The later town of Rancho Viejo takes its name from this early ranch; the state placed the Centennial marker in 1936.

Sources: hmdb.org tshaonline.org

📍 25.9851, -97.5209 · Brownsville, Cameron County

Directions (Apple)Google Maps View map

Get Texas Roam — all 28,000 sites in your pocket

See this site and every marker, cemetery, courthouse, museum and landmark across Texas on one live map — find what's near you, get directions, and check in as you roam.

or open the live map in your browser →Free · ad-free · the iOS app and the web map share one account, so your visits sync across both

Nearby in Cameron County

Cameron County · 1963

Resaca de la Palma, Battle of

Brownsville · 1936

Historical Marker

Brownsville · 2008