1967 ~ Ten Years After the Kuebke's Moved into Their New Home

If you've been following these rare slide photo posts on our Facebook page recently discovered by Mel & Del Trevino of Mel's Antiques & Collectibles in Olmito, Texas you'll recall the Kuebke family moved into their home at 1444 Palomar St in Brownsville, Texas in 1957.

Typical as with any new home the yard was mostly bare with a single tree sapling to start off a modest landscaping design.   This region had always been known as "The Magic Valley of Texas" where everything would grow at rapid rate so in ten years the Kuebke's had plenty of trees and shrubs to beautify their property.

On September 5, 1967 Hurricane Beulah swept through south Texas and caused major damage.  With its highest winds reaching 160 mph it was a Category 5 hurricane.  The following are enhanced slide images of the Kuebke property take after the storm.  

Looks like a neighbor walking by.

There's lots of foliage scattered all about the area.

Banana trees may be knocked down but not knocked out.  

We're not sure who these men were or what role they played but would like to imagine they offered to clean up and haul away debris for an agreed upon fee.

That's Delmar Kuebke wearing glasses.  He took most of the photos.

Google image of property

1967 - Hurricane Beulah Storms through Ft Brown Motor Hotel

 TSC archives slide image

 View from behind hotel and what appears to be heavy damage to top section (next three slide photos courtesy of Mel & Del Trevino) 

 View from E Elizabeth (now University Dr)  Looks like rolled up carpets on grass

 View from Holiday Inn parking lot.  Those are carpets hanging from balcony rails

archival postcard/brochure image?

Jose Zuniga --Mom and dad wanted to go to a shelter. I didn't want to go. So we stayed home. It felt like airplanes were flying around the house... It broke a branch off a mesquite tree, bended other trees and the yard was flooded..

Mrp Mimms --And then after it was over, crop-dusters sprayed the city with pesticides for the Mediterranean fruit fly infestation. I can still smell it. It's a wonder any of us survived the aftermath.

Carol Lee Davidson-- I worked at Mercy hospital then. The nuns had us prepare the hallways. And cafeteria for people seeking shelter that lived in Matamoros or Las Prietas in Brownsville. I was shocked at the number of people that showed up. We ended up turning away quite a few because we just didn't have the vacancy.

Norma Cardenas-- My family was living in Edinburg during Beulah. However, my mom's family all were living in Brownsville. Since I was in 10th grade, my mind was concerned with school things--namely watching football games. Brownsville got major wind damage, but Hidalgo County got more flooding than wind. Since we found out that Edinburg was going to be out of school for over a month, we decided to try to make it to Brownsville to both visit relatives and catch a game. Normally it takes around 45 minutes to an hour to get there from Edinburg, but Beulah flooding made us have to Take so many detours to reach Brownsville that it took us over 2 hrs. To get there! We got quite an eyeful of damage during our journey that it seems like just yesterday

Peggy Paris --I remember hearing about an I beam being picked up on one side of the Ft.Brown resaca, bent in a perfect U and deposited on the other side.

(visual aid for Peggy Paris story)

Kim Tipton -- I remember putting tape on the windows and opening windows on opposite sides of the house. Our cat had some cute kittens who would climb up a chair back and pounce on my father who was sleeping on the floor.

Belinda Rangel I remember we were our kitchen when the back of house just fell to ground , we were evacuated and taken to Hanna High school

1967 Floods after Hurricane Beulah

Minute newsreel with voice of Ed Herlihy with eerie music