2017 0226 Buffalo Soldiers honored by C.M.B.C. in Harlingen, Texas

by Javier R. Garcia

I had to post this photo first because it was the only close-up I took of Corinth Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Donald Ray Ellington (red shirt).  Ellington invited some friends and  historians for an early afternoon event to talk about black history.  The 1906 shooting known as The Brownsville Raid in which 167 soldiers of the 25th Infantry U.S. Army were discharged without honor by President Roosevelt has always been a interesting topic because it is one of those history's mysteries that may never be solved. If forensics or fair legal process had been applied to the case back then, the heroic Buffalo Soldiers would not have been found guilty (but we'll leave that for historians to debate if they want to).  I'll introduce those other gentlemen pictured above with Mr. Elligton later but first....

The "Inspirational Singing" by the Corinth Missionary Baptist Church Adult Choir lived up to its name on the program description which was handed to me as soon as I arrived to the large tent set-up in case a lot of people showed up, which they did.  They all sang and played beautifully.  I had always imagined what it might be like to listen to live gospel music and was truly pleased with the music and singing.

There were a few honored guests at the event including two city commissioners and Sheriff Omar Lucio seen here with a deputy and CMBC volunteer Gerald Flowers.  Volunteer members of the congregation wore red shirts and greeted visitors and handed out programs as they took a seat at a table under the big tent.  Tony Guitierrez (top left) with the Lower Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce had a few words of advice for business entrepreneurs in the audience and CBMC Reverend Lonnie Davis with  Harlingen, Texas District 4 Commissioner Ruben De La Rosa are pictured top right.   Not pictured is District 5 Commissioner Victor Leal who was also present.

Captain Paul Matthews is the founder of the Buffalo Soldiers Museum in Houston, Texas.  He explained how warriors of the Cheyenne Native American tribe respectfully referred to black soldiers as Wild Buffaloes due to their fierce attacks and fighting spirit and of course, the sodier's coarse hair which would be much like a buffalos wool.  Buffalo Soldiers were established in 1866 (after the Civil War) and were regiments of 9th & 10th Calvary and 24th and 25th Infantry.  Brownsville Texas was visited by U. S.Army Colored Troops between 1862 and 1906.

1860s era Wild Buffaloes charging into battle (photo copied from VisionQuest 

Actor Wayne Dehart's monologue was outstanding!  His reenactment opened with a description of what is was like becoming a free man and traveling to New Orleans where he was mustered into the Army and later ambushed by Indians while hunting for fugitive Apache Chief Victorio along the northern Texas border with Mexico.  The performance also made him a witness to the Houston Riot of 1917  (Camp Logan Riot) where 5 policemen were killed by Buffalo Soldiers of which 19 were court-martialed and sentenced to be hanged.  Parts of his monologue were taken from a 200+-page manuscript of original documents describing buffalo soldier's experiences and attitudes of the time.

Dehart has appeared in television and films, most notably A Time to Kill (1996), The Apostle (1997), Jason's Lyric (1994) and RoboCop 2 to name a few.  He works with Captain Matthews at the museum and is currently with the Ensemble Theater in Houston, Texas.  There are clips of him acting on YouTube for those who are curious enough to look.

 Photo of baseball team at Fort Brown in 1906

 We took a short break to feast on fish, potato salad and cole slaw which was catered for guests.  

Dr. Antonio Zavaleta gave historical accounts of Fort Brown soldiers in the Rio Grande Valley.  He intends to see that a "historical zone" at Fort Brown is established to commemorate the plight of soldiers who gave their lives in service to the U.S. Army at Fort Brown.  We hope readers of this blog and contributing members of the historical community will come together to support the idea.  History has shown that UTB-TSC was resistant to ever establishing a "1906 Buffalo Soldier" historical marker but maybe UT-RGV Brownsville will actually accomplish something about it this decade.  We can appreciate Dr. Zavaleta's broader goal to recognize all the African-American soldiers who were in Brownsville including those of the 25th Infantry implicated in the 1906 incident.  At the conclusion of his discussion he read off a few names of soldiers who had been buried at Fort Brown who were victims of Yellow Fever or Cholera epidemics.  

 1906 buffalo soldier image courtesy of Rene Torres

 Soldiers in formation while in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898

Earl Smith (inset photo of CMBC program and souvenir guide with photo of Smith's meeting with President Barack Obama after he became president).

William "Earl" Smith is a longtime Valleyite from San Benito with roots that go far back to the earliest vaqueros in the Rio Grande Valley.  His work in the hotel security business allowed him the pleasure of making an acquaintance with both past president Bushes, Bill Clinton and Smith's personal favorite, Barack Obama.  He told the story about a patch he gave to Senator Barack Obama while he was on the campaign trail in 2008.  Smith  carried that military patch with him for 40 years and wanted Mr Obama to have it to get him through rough times as it had seen Smith make it through his stint in the Vietnam War.  You can read more about it by clicking on this Washington Post link.

 1890 Buffalo Soldiers of the 25th Infantry.  Some are wearing buffalo fur coats and holding other props for this group photo. (Source:  Wikipedia)  Not only were they used by the U.S. Government to exterminate Native Americans or move them to reservations, they also helped kill off the buffalo.  Many had just been freed and there were no other jobs for them to take so many joined the army and saw the west settled.  

 Mr. Smith was made an honorary Buffalo Soldier and presented with en embroidered jacket by Captain Matthews.

 Captain Paul Matthews, Dr. Antonio Zavaleta and Wayne Dehart

Company "A" 25th Infantry Regiment U.S. Colored Troops (Source:  Bernard Stewart Buffalo Soldiers)

 Earl Smith signed autographs and took photos with visitors.

Captain Paul Matthews and Wayne Dehart also signed autographs and took photos.

It was a great time had by all under that big tent.  I met some very interesting people and learned more about the role of African-Americans in the Rio Grande Valley.  Everyone prayed and ate together.  It had been a long while since I attended church and felt right at home in Harlingen.  

Until next time, thanks for looking in on Bronsbil Estacion.  Please copy URL and share link with your friends who love RGV history and its people.  

1948: Before There Was a "Mr Amigo," Desi Arnaz Was the Man of the Hour

by Javier R. Garcia

It was 1948 and Charro Days was in it's eleventh year.  The previous year saw Xavier Cugat and his orchestra play for the yearly celebration.  Cugat, as you all probably know, is credited with popularizing rumba music and known as the Rumba King who gave Desi Arnaz a leg-up in show business while he was in New York as the young up-and-comer was making waves with his brand of mambo music.  Cugat was not only a classical violinist and caricaturist, he also married some beautiful women in his time and appeared in many films as himself.  But we'll save his story later.  Desi Arnaz is the topic for this post.

In this Brownsville Herald photo Kenneth Faxon, president of Charro Days organization, stands to the right of Desi Arnaz as he exits the plane and shakes hands with Hawkins White, chairman of the Charro Days dance committee.  Also pictured is Gloria Foster who was a featured singer along with the orchestra and internationally known dancers Lolita and Ardo  who were part of Arnaz's show and had small bits in Universal motion picture with Arnaz. He and his entourage signed on to play for three grand Charro Balls broadcast by ABC, CBS and NBC on consecutively.

Kenneth Faxon

Courtesy photo Jose Cazares.

Virginia Freeman recalled while she was on the Charro Days entertainment committee that Arnaz auditioned on the Capitol Theater stage and was hired on the spot.  Historian Bruce Aiken said he and Arnaz drank all night at the Drive Inn restaurant in Matamoros where Cugat had been a year before on his visit to Brownsville as well.  In traditional manner honored guests would get the best treatment Matamoros-Brownsville style.  Arnaz and his orchestra would be served up a dinner at the famous Drive-Inn in Matamoros as guests of Charro Days officials of which Aiken must have been a part of. In a 1983 interview with David Letterman, Arnaz referred to 1947 as the Copacabana years with his life-long friend and piano man Marco Rizo.

With Marco Rizo

Various valley radio stations broadcasted his shows.   He was staying at El Jardin Hotel and was on his way back when his eyes locked on a blue chinaco which purchased and he wore at all his performances and gifted the chinaco to the Charro Days Association upon leaving Brownsville.  We wanted to post a photo of the outfit but did not have time to discover its location.  

1942 Arthur Rothstein photo of Queen marquee on E Elizabeth during Charro Days parade.

Another story about Arnaz was told by longtime theater manager and funeral home director Joe Trevino who worked simultaneously at the Capitol and Queen Theaters before the Majestic Theater opened up a year later in 1949.   During one of the parades Trevino invited Arnaz to join him on top of the Queen Theater marquee and they both watched parade from up there.   

Desi Arnaz had by this time been married to Lucille Ball since 1940 and would soon be world famous but Brownsville got him while he was on the rise.  They were still working their way to the top and she was scheduled to do a radio program which conflicted with his Charro Days appearances but would join him in Miami Beach, Florida.

Arnaz had at this time a handheld 16 mm camera and had it with him but we may never know if he actually found film for it which he had been in search for as soon as he arrived.  A quick search of the Guide to the Desi Arnaz Papers does not include a listing for 16mm film earlier than 1960s.

1948 Brownsville Herald ads announcing Arnaz's scheduled public appearances in record stores.

Happier days of the loving couple who revolutionized the way tv would be watched for decades.  As we all know today, they produced the re-runs many of us enjoyed growing up but it wouldn't have happened if Lucille Ball had not convinced CBS studio execs that the only way she would agree to do a sitcom would be with her Cuban-born husband which they feared might alienate prospective sponsors.

1945 0223 On This Day by Leo Rodriguez

Marines raise flag on Iwo Jima February 23rd, 1945

by Leo Rodriguez

 "Joe Rosenthal's famous photo of the second flag raising on Mount Suribachi. On Feb. 23, 1945, in the middle of one of the fiercest battles of World War II, a group of U.S. Marines carried a flag up the highest peak on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima and planted it there. Since 1947, the Marine Corps has attached six names to the famous flag-raising photo taken that day. And it says the case is closed."  ~ Omaha World Herald

On this day in 1945, Cpl. Harlon Block of Weslaco appeared in one of the most indelible images to come out of World War II. For three days the men of Company E, Second Battalion, Twenty-eighth Marines, had fought their way to the top of Mount Suribachi, a 550-foot-high extinct volcano at the southern end of the island of Iwo Jima. They first raised a small flag to signal their victory to their fellows below, and a larger flag later. In Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal's picture of the six men raising this second flag, which won the Pulitzer Prize, the twenty-year-old Block was the stooping figure guiding the base of the flagpole into the volcanic ash. He never saw the famous picture, however, as he was killed in action on March 1 as his unit advanced in the direction of Mishi Ridge. Block was buried in the Fifth Marine Division cemetery at the foot of Mount Suribachi, though his body was taken home to Weslaco in 1949.

[additional note by Leo Rodriguez]

 There was a little more to Harlon Block's story that should be told. In Joe Rosenthal's photo, he is the one on the far right with his knee on the ground as they plant the staff. Unfortunately, even though his mother recognized him as her son, he was misidentified by the "brass" in the Marine Corps. When Ira Hayes attempted to correct the error, he was ordered to remain silent. When the war ended, along with Ira Hayes' enlistment in the Corps, he hitch-hiked from his home in Arizona to find Harlon Block's father on a tractor plowing his farm land near Weslaco, Texas and informed him of the error.

Mr. Block invited Hayes to stay for dinner and spend the night at his home. Ira Hayes politely thanked him, refused the invitation, said that he had accomplished his mission, and immediately left the Rio Grande Valley, never to return. Without IRA HAYES and his devotion to his buddy, we would never have known that the point man in this iconic photo was really Harlon Block.

In the mid-1980's the statue's creator, Felix DeWeldon, made a deal to cast it's original model in bronze and place it at the entrance to Harlingen's Marine Military Academy/Valley International Airport. At it's base, you will find the remains of Marine Lance Cpl. Harlon Block. If you find the time, it is really worth visiting, and while you're there, maybe you might take a moment to remember what his "greatest generation" did for our world when freedom was threatened.
*. Brock was also a key member of the Weslaco High School football team.

When Brownsville was on the Road to Modernity

The first locally owned automobile was the property of George Kenedy - grandson of Miflin Kenedy, the riverboat captain and rancher. The first vehicle on record was provately owned by owned by St Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Rarilroad. It was sent from Houston as a transport bus in 1904 to get passengers from Arroyo until repairs could be made to rails after heavy rains "clawed out" the railroad trestle.

Roads were scarce back then and heavy mud from rain would cause vehicles to get stuck. The first paving was done in 1912 using Creosoted mesquite wood blocks and they were placed around the courthouse and down E Elizabeth and E Levee Streets. The bricks would buckle after heavy rains and eventually had to be completely removed. It wasn't until the late 1920s that we saw any paved roads in Brownsville. Grading began in 1924 and by 1932 four and one-tenths miles of paved road existed between here and San Benito. Additional grading was done between 1924 and 1947

2017 0219 Brownsville Climate March

Marchers walked from Washington Park to the International Bridge and back for this demonstration calling for better treatment of our planet to protect it from further climate change caused by fossil fuel refinements. 

 "What do we want?  Justice!  When do we want it?  Now!"

 Peaceful marchers showing what Democracy looks like.

 Some very creative signage used to attract attention

 (Note to self - ask people to step into light for better brighter more colorful photographs)

 Check out these awesome signs!  Save the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

 This caricaturist had a table set-up at Washington park

 Iv'e seen this written as "Honor you mother" as in Mother Nature but I guess not this time.

Who knew Donna had a lake.  Who knew that is is toxic?  Just Google it or search videos on YouTube and learn a lot you didn't know about the RGV and pollution.

 Everywhere there were signs

 These signs were cool 

 Eric holding up a sign he made himself.  I might have painted the yellow background at the sign making party.  I painted a few base coats for signs and it was fun.

 These are local native Americans who claim heritage indigenous to this border region originating from Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas.  

 Juan Mancias representeing the Corrizo / Comecrudo Tribe of Texas.  The name does mean "Those who eat raw" and is Spanish.  To learn more about how them check out their very informative webpage for the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas

 People from the upper valley were in Brownsville to unite for common causes / concerns 

 Adrian Foncerrada played music for the well attended event

Cool talgate with bumper stickers I noticed after leaving the park