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Falcon Lake, part 1 – the bass fisherman’s gateway to old Mexico, and much more
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Courtesy Cindy Beard, © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Want to get away to a place that’s a little off the beaten path, yet not completely away from civilization? A place that has history, excellent bass fishin’, bird watching, and an opportunity to explore both sides of the Tex/Mex border?
Do I have a location for you …
Sunset on Falcon Lake as seen from Guerrero, TAM, MX
History
Built and owned jointly by the USA and Mexico, Falcon Dam produces Falcon Lake, logically enough. The lake is the source of water for the city of Mission, TX and is a legendary location for bass fishing. The lake itself is around 100,000 acres in size and stretches roughly 40 miles.
Spanish folks settled the area in the 1700’s, much to the chagrin of the native Indian population, who proceeded to raid the settlements and steal the settlers’ cattle. Water was scarce and the Rio Grande River became not only a good place to locate towns and villas, but eventually the Rio Grande would become the border between Mexico and the Republic of Texas. And we all know how contested that border was back in the days of Sam Houston and that pesky Santa Anna fellow.
The ruins of Old Guerrero - history permeates this region
As a consequence of all of the fighting many of the original towns were fortified to protect themselves from outside attacks. The flags of seven nations – Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the USA, the Confederate States of America, and in some places the short lived Republic of the Rio Grande – at one time flew over this region.
Falcon Dam itself was completed in the early 50’s. Prior to that time the Rio Grande was easily crossed by traders or soldiers. Today the only legal crossing of Falcon Lake is across the dam, which has a roadway built on top of it.
Construction of the dam forced the relocation of several towns, notably Carrizo, Texas which was resettled and renamed Zapata, Texas, and Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas. Guerrero Viejo, one of the older colonial cities in Mexico and an international resort in the 1940’s and 1950’s, was relocated to the present site of Nuevo Guerrero. However, the ghostly remains of Ancient Guerrero can still be visited when the lake levels are low.
To be continued ...
--PirateJohn--
John@PirateJohn.com
For more info:
The dam is located at 26°33′32″N 99°09′53″W . Put that into Google Earth or most mapping programs and it should take you right there. If that doesn’t work, look for the Mexican town of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero and then just follow the edge of the lake on the south side of town. The roadway running along the lake runs on top of the bridge and continues into Texas. The tiny town of Falcon Heights, TX would be the US side of the bridge and dam complex.
** Don't forget - You will need your passport to get back into the USA! **
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