Moments in Time is a collection of recovered newspaper briefs and other publications, compiled by local historian, Steve Hathcock, offering a look back at the history of the Rio Grande Valley.
Brazos Life Station Moved 1909
Contract Let.—The contract for moving and repairing the lifesaving station located on Brazos Island to a point about half a mile North from where the station now stands has been awarded to M. Hanson, one of the well-known contractors of this city, the sum named being something over $2,000. The work will begin as soon as the weather permits.
(Brownsville Daily Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), February 3, 1909)
Editors Note: The building was first cleared around its base. Laborers used heavy jacks to slowly lift the entire station structure off its foundation timbers. As it rose, massive square wooden beams (cribbing) were stacked in a crisscross pattern underneath to support the dead weight. Once elevated, long, heavy timber skids or “runners”—acting like giant sled runners—were bolted beneath the main sills of the building to distribute its weight evenly across the soft sand. Large pine or oak logs were placed horizontally under the runners. The building was then lowered onto this rolling platform.
To physically move the structure, Hanson would have anchored a heavy wood or iron capstan (a vertical winch) deep into the sand ahead of the path using deadman anchors (buried timbers). A team of horses or mules walking in a circle turned the capstan. Using a complex block-and-tackle rope system, the team slowly pulled the station forward, inch by inch, over the rollers. As rollers slid out the back of the building, laborers ran them to the front to be used again.
Through this slow, methodical process, Hanson’s crew successfully maneuvered the station over the dunes to a safer, temporary northern plot.
When the U.S. Life-Saving Service merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915, the facility officially became a U.S. Coast Guard station. The station weathered multiple historic storms, including the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. However, the legendary September 1919 Florida Keys-Texas Hurricane completely leveled the facility on Boca Chica beach.
During this infamous storm, Latino lifesavers including Pablo Valent, Mariano Holland, and Indalecio Lopez performed heroic rescues in the surrounding waters. Valent later received the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his bravery during the storm. Following the destruction of the original site, the station was relocated across the pass to the southern tip of South Padre Island. A new wooden station building was completed by 1923–1924, which served as the unit’s main base for the next 50 years.
Unlucky Thief
A cartman who lives far out on Adams street had a horse stolen out of his yard early Sunday morning. He was grieving over his loss when to his surprise the horse returned Sunday evening bringing upon his back a very fine saddle. There is no claimant for the saddle. Some unlucky thief in trying to win a horse has lost a saddle.
The Daily Ranchero. (Brownsville, Tex.), Thursday, June 3, 1869: