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The Hidalgo Pumphouse was the original pumphouse for the Louisiana-Rio Grande Canal Company. It was used to pump water out of the Rio Grande into an irrigation system moving the water 20 miles north to Edinburg. From the main canal, the water would flow east, towards the coast, and irrigate approximately 70,000-acres. At least sixteen pumphouses like this once lined the Rio Grande - they’ve since been converted to electric pumps. This pumphouse has been carefully preserved and restored as an example, including the fascinating machinery and the towering smokestack.
Inside the pumphouse, you can wander all around the huge machinery. The boilers, which were originally wood-fired with mesquite, then converted to oil, then natural gas, then diesel, are still in place. On display are both Worthington and Ingersoll-Rand engines. The brick in the fire walls of the boilers was used to pave the walkway behind the smokestack. Interpretive signs explain what the machinery was used for, how the water was pumped out of the river, and the water-hardening system. The good thing is that it’s explained so easily you don’t have to be an engineer to understand it. In the rear is an air-conditioned area with displays about the irrigation system, how the system works, and how it changed the landscape of the Valley.
The pumphouse is part of the World Birding Center, and the acreage surrounding the pumphouse is open for exploration. The grounds immediately adjacent have been intensively landscaped to attract birds and butterflies. You can even stand on a brick map of Old Hidalgo. Before entering the pumphouse, you’ll notice huge gates. These gates once controlled the flow of water into the irrigation system.
There is a 5-mile (roundtrip) asphalt
bike trail behind the pumphouse on the levee; you can go east to the wetlands, or west underneath the border crossing. Going west, the end of the trail isn’t marked, and the trail turns into a Border Patrol road. You might want to head back when you get under the bridge. Going east, past the wetlands, the trail ends at a subdivision. Bicycles are included with admission to the pumphouse.
A 2.25-mile (roundtrip) hiking trail parallels the bike trail to the wetlands, but travels under the cover of a forest canopy. The trail is paved, but has muddy ruts on either side from the Border Patrol driving down. You’ll probably see one in their SUV if you decide to hike. All this police presence sure does make one feel safe. |
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The pumphouse once sat on the Rio Grande. A flood in 1933 changed the course of the river, a half-mile away from the pumphouse. A channel was dug from the pumphouse to the river, to bring the river water to the huge intake pipes of the pumphouse. Since the pumphouse has been decommissioned, this creates a pleasant lake. There is a covered picnic area and canoe launch on the channel. The docent of the pumphouse said that they were planning on renting paddleboats, but the funding for acquisition hasn’t been forthcoming. You could easily spend a few hours here, both inside and outside. |