Site of Casa de Palmas
McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The town of McAllen began developing after the arrival of the railroad in 1905. Introduction of an irrigation system made vegetable farming possible. Soon there was a hotel, a grocery store, a Presbyterian church, a bank, and a weekly newspaper. In 1916 after bandits caused border trouble 12,000 soldiers were sent here to restore law and order. Business boomed with the increased population. Among the new facilities was the Casa de Palmas Hotel, opened in 1918. This fine hotel served as a business, social, and civic center for the Rio Grande Valley. (1979)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
McAllen sprang up after the railroad arrived in 1905 and irrigation turned the Rio Grande Valley into rich vegetable farmland, drawing a hotel, church, bank, and newspaper in short order. In 1916, border unrest brought some 12,000 soldiers to the area to restore order, and the resulting population surge fueled a business boom. Amid the growth, the Casa de Palmas Hotel opened in 1918 and became a leading business, social, and civic hub for the whole valley.
Why it matters
The hotel's site marks how railroads, irrigation, and border tensions together conjured a modern city out of the South Texas brushland in barely a generation.
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Themes & tags
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