Founding History of Eagle Pass, Texas

You probably have heard the old saying, “Everything is bigger in Texas.” With the number of cities and towns, you would never have expected what you could find. Eagle Pass, Texas, is one of those towns with some history. Texans realize it is a town on the border of Texas and Mexico; it has a history, from having Civil War soldiers arrive to when it was founded.

Eagle Pass, Texas, is a small town with hot weather, as expected in Texas and near Mexico. Even with the heat, plants and green grass brighten up the city. Local businesses are plentiful in nearly every street downtown, and of course, there is the main street called “Main Street.”

It is referred to as “La Puerta de México” or, in English, “Mexico’s door.”

“John Twohig, a prominent figure from San Antonio, played a significant role in Eagle Pass’s history,” said Jeffrey (sp) Taylor, former curator of the Fort Duncan Museum. “In 1850, he sold the land that would become Eagle Pass to the city, marking a pivotal moment in its founding.”

It was initially founded in 1849.

July 4, 1865, is when General Joseph Orville Shelby arrived at Eagle Pass. He was a Confederate general; he came with 500 troops and did not want to surrender. Eagle Pass is famous for where he buried the Confederate flag in the Rio Grande River.

It is the fastest route from San Antonio to Mexico.

Confederate General Joseph Orville Shelby is named after the famous Shelby Park.

“Joseph O. Shelby went to Mexico and wanted to join forces with Mexico with Benito Juarez; on his way back,” he buried the flag,” said Jerry Quiroz, director of the Fort Duncan Museum.”

“Shelby buried the Confederate flag in the river near the end of the Civil War era.”

With a few visits, generals and celebrities such as Robert E. Lee and Charles Lindbergh were. Recently, Eagle Pass celebrated its 175th anniversary on April 3, 2024.

Eagle Pass was the very first American Settlement on the Rio Grande. At the height of World War II, Eagle Pass Airfield attribute trained fighter pilots.

One of the most well-known fighter pilots stationed were The Wasps.

Well-known people who were in Eagle Pass had many people who lived up to the culture. John King Fisher lived up to the name and had even done things that many remember him by.

“He was a famous gunslinger who killed 36 men and then became the sheriff of Uvalde,” said Jeffrey Taylor. “Fisher became a law enforcement officer and once shot a Bengal tiger at a zoo and had his chaps made out of the Bengal tiger.”

He owned a saloon called “The Sunset Saloon,” which still stands in Eagle Pass today.

Jeffery Taylor said, “Fischer then sold the establishment to Jesse Sumpter, who worked for Confederacy Customs and US Customs.”

Jesse Sumpter was the very first sheriff of Eagle Pass. 
With the name “Eagle Pass,” many people, including citizens and Native Americans, have wondered how it originally got its name.

“Soldiers pitched their tents when they arrived, and someone said, “Those tents look like spread eagle wings. Let’s call it Camp Eagle Pass,” said Taylor.

Mexico has always called Eagle Pass “El Paso del Águila.”

“In Coahuila, Native Americans saw a very special eagle fly across the river of Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass, said Jeffery Taylor. “It dropped a feather, landed, and called the town Eagle Pass.”

Even with the different waves of immigration occurring throughout the border, Eagle Pass has had unique views.

“They never changed the laws regarding documents or papers for crossing from Mexico to Texas,” said Jerry Quiroz. The rules have changed, and from the 1980s until now, they have become more strict.”

Eagle Pass currently has the railroad trade for Mexico. There are currently two international bridges, but there will soon be three.

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This project was created through a journalism class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies Department. This work was made possible through the support of MPC Endowment Ltd., the philanthropic affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club.