While their proper name is "Africanized honey bees," the name "killer bees" caught the country's attention in the late 1970's, when thousands began working their way North from their home in Brazil. The site of the first killer bee crossing into the U.S.A supposedly occurred in Hidalgo, TX. To commemorate this event the town has erected this statue of a killer bee. The Killer Bee is now the official mascot for Hidalgo.
Anther one of those…”must see” experiences…NOT!
We then headed West to Los Ebanos, TX, to an old border crossing still in use.
The ferry was first used in the 1740’s by Spanish explorers and colonists under Jose de Escandon. This ancient ford was also used by Mexican war troops in 1846; by Texas Rangers chasing cattle rustlers; by smugglers in many eras, especially during the American prohibition of the 1920’s and 1930’s. General Zachary Taylor used the ford to cross the river into Mexico during the Mexican War of 1845.
Named after the abundance of Ebony trees that flourish around the site, the ferry is the last hand-pulled ferry in existence within the U.S.
The steel cable at top prevents the ferry from being swept down the Rio Grande River.
It can transport three cars and several pedestrians across the Rio Grande.
We choose not to cross but were accessed $1 by the Mexicans running the crossing. One can sure see how easy it is to cross into the United States at places like this.
Paul down at the crossing.
There was a military presence and Border Patrol officers on guard at the barge crossing, but 100 yards down river was pretty isolated.
If sightseeing wasn’t enough for us, we attended social hour at the Activity Center at 5. The event was well attended with lots of food and laughter.
We stayed and learned to play a new card game called “RATS”. This is a very easy card game, and we learned very quickly how it got its name. Thanks Cathy and Rob for teaching us this game.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!
