February 4, 2020

This museum, located in Edinburg, Texas, chronicles the history of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico.

Museum of South Texas History, in Edinburg, Texas

The building lobby is beautifully and stunningly decorated in Spanish-Colonial style architecture, ornamental tiles, metal railings and furnishings.

Museum of South Texas History Lobby

The story begins on the second floor. Like the Rio Grande River, the museum flows through history from room to room beginning with ancient plant and animal fossils and a magnificent replica of a Mammoth skeleton. These exhibits tell the story of the Rio Grande Legacy with artifacts and multimedia. Spanish colonial artifacts, pioneer life, the cattle kingdom, and steamboat days are some of the things you’ll learn about in the interactive displays.

Mammoth skeleton

Early Spanish wooden cart

Indian display and Steamboat theater

Chuckwagon for cattle drives

 Downstairs the story continues with a replica train station, irrigation history, horse and buggy, war history and ending in the post-WWII displays. Across the courtyard from the main building is the 1910 jail and the Will Looney Legacy Park with sculptures, windmill and a pathway through native plants.

Horse and buggy transportation

 My favorite thing about this museum is imagining what life would be like in this area many years ago. Without electricity, running water and motorized transportation, life would be incredibly hard. Yet, there were people who dared to make a life here and left their mark behind. During this time, we were also listening to Robert Caro’s book called “The Years of Lyndon B. Johnson, Volume I”. The beginning of this book chronicles much of the early history of Texas pioneers. It is fascinating.

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel Tags: Edinburg, Full Time RVing, Mammoth, Mexican history, Museum of South Texas History, RVing, sites to see in Edinburg, South Texas History, Spanish history, Texas, Texas History, Texas Museums, Texas places to see