Old Rancho Davis
Rio Grande City, Starr County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Home of Henry Clay Davis, a Kentuckian; came to Texas in 1939. Served with Taylor's army in 1846. Married into the Garza family, pioneer settlers and large landowners in the region. Around his home Rio Grande City grew up. Steamboats from Brownsville made the town a trading center. Ringgold Barracks was established nearby in 1848. Rio Grande City, the county seat.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Kentucky-born Henry Clay Davis came to Texas in the late 1830s and served with Zachary Taylor's army during the Mexican-American War in 1846. Marrying into the prominent Garza family of the lower Rio Grande, he established a home around which Rio Grande City grew, fed by steamboat trade up from Brownsville and by the founding of nearby Ringgold Barracks in 1848. The town became the seat of Starr County.
Why it matters
Davis's ranch marks the American settlement of the Rio Grande borderland in the wake of the Mexican-American War.
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Related people
- · Henry Clay Davis
Related events
- · Mexican-American War
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Howard L. Bass Home
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