Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Carrizo Springs
A little burst of life amid the empty lands of the Central Rio Grande, Carrizo Springs is an
important junction on Rio Grande journeys. Laredo is 80 miles of sagebrush south on US
83, while Eagle Pass is 44 miles northwest on US 277. There's a smear of fast-food joints
and you can admire the stolid 1927 limestone
Dimmit County Courthouse
as you drive past.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Eagle Pass
POP 22,300
Eagle Pass may be the most Mexican town in the USA. About 97% of its residents are of
Mexican origin, and Spanish is spoken far more often than English. In fact, the main reas-
on most travelers come to Eagle Pass is to get to its sister city - Piedras Negras, in Mexico
- and beyond. The town itself is almost immediately forgettable. Most people on the
streets seem to be on their way to someplace else.
From the downtown area, US 277 swings north along Ceylon St (an area of a few beau-
tiful homes), 2nd St and Del Rio Blvd.
For centuries, the favored crossing of the Rio Grande in this area was 30 miles south at
Guerrero, Coahuila. The route was used by everyone from 17th-century Spanish explorers
to Antonio López de Santa Anna as he led his troops to the Alamo. After the Texas War
for Independence, the Mexican government prohibited direct trade with Texans, but Mex-
ican villagers near the Rio Grande continued to use a clandestine road that ran north of the
old San Antonio Rd. It crossed the river near what was called Paso del Águila (Eagle
Pass) for the many eagles' nests perched in the nearby pecan trees. The US Army estab-
lished Fort Duncan at the Paso del Águila in 1849 to protect emigrants heading west in the
California gold rush, as well as the flow of trade from Mexico.
Sights
Fort Duncan Museum
( 830-773-1714; Fort Duncan Park, Bliss St; admission by donation; hours vary)
Fort Duncan Museum,
housed in the old fort headquarters building, has exhibits and artifacts from the Spanish
MUSEUM
