Rio Grande Rail Road Company 1870 - 1911

Pelican Station is located on the exact site where the Rio Grande Rail Road ran in the late 1800's. RGRR began in 1870 as the only railroad in Texas and one of the few in the United States. It was a 42" gauge railroad. RGRR ran a twenty-six mile route between Point Isabel and Brownsville and consisted of three locomotives and fifty-six cars.

RGRR was owned and operated by several Brownsville businessmen. It was created in an attempt to break the transportation monopoly held by riverboat owners Richard King and Mifflin Kennedy, who later became owners of large ranches in the area.

RGRR had a loading / unloading pier 1000 feet long, built over the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre. Lighter boats would offload cargo from ships offshore of Point Isabel and deliver it to the pier to be offloaded once again. This process was reversed for cargo shipped from Port Isabel. This pier was rebuilt in 1928, by the US Corps of Engineers, and used to deliver the granite rock used to construct the Jetties.

While Rio Grande Rail Road has long since ceased operations, the history is still very much alive inside Pelican Station. Dine on our amazing meals and enjoy our beautiful view of the Laguna Madre Bay and Queen Isabella Causeway. Also,view our oversize historic photographs of old Port Isabel and RGRR, taken by Robert Runyon.