The Pumphouse Museum in Hidalgo does more than just document the stages of the Industrial Revolution. The brick and corrugated-tin walls bear the rust of nearly a century; inside the story of the people unfolds.
Built in 1909, the steam engines and pipes as tall as a man were brought in on the first railroad tracks. The waters of the Rio Grande nourished the newly planted citrus orchards and vegetable fields. Cheap labor from south of the border made it all possible.
The last of the towering smokestacks pinpoints the museum’s location near the international bridge. A flood in 1933 moved the Rio Grande half a mile away and a channel dug to bring water to the pump station is now a small lake.
Once a marvel of technology, the mighty engines that lifted millions of gallons of water to fill the irrigation canals fell silent in 1983. Through photographs and artifacts, the museum tells the human and mechanical story of the development of the Rio Grande Valley.
The park surrounding the pumphouse has been designated as one of nine World Birding Centers in the Valley. In the shadow of the rust-colored border fence, the garden attracts an array of butterflies and birds.
The Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum is at 902 S. Second St. in the Viejo Hidalgo district. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm. The park is open every day. For more info, call 956/843-8686 or go to www.cityofhidalgo.net/pumphouse.html.
1,218th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips,” is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
This article appears in November 28 • 2014.
