Castolon: A Meeting Place of Two Cultures (Teaching with Historic Places)

Set below the towering cliffs of the Sierra Ponce, Castolon is a small trading history includes a harmonious mixing of the people along the United States-Mexico border. The first inhabitants of this section of the Rio Grande flood plain were American Indians, who farmed and hunted.

By 1900, the area began to attract American and Mexican farmers and ranchers interested in establishing homesteads and raising families. As the rest of the U.S. entered the industrial age, the section of West Texas along the Rio Grande remained a frontier society.

The 1910 Mexican Revolution brought unrest and danger to people on both sides of the river, as bandits and raiders invaded the area. The U.S. Army responded by commissioning permanent and temporary camps along the Rio Grande. One such post was Camp Santa Helena, located in the southwest corner of today’s Big Bend National Park. Just after the Mexican Revolution ended, two men created a farming, ranching, and storekeeping partnership at Camp Santa Helena, now known as Castolon. They named their business La Harmonia Enterprises, a name they hoped would accurately reflect a continuing condition of the area--harmony between peoples. Use this lesson plan to learn more about rich history of the region.

Essential Question

Compare the Spanish and Anglo influences on settlements along the Texas-Mexico border region of the Rio Grande.

Objective

1. To understand living conditions for settlers around Castolon at the turn of the 20th century, including how they supported themselves;
2. To explain why early settlers in the area of the Rio Grande felt free to cross the international boundary frequently;
3. To list, in English and Spanish, 10 commodities local ranch families could have obtained at the Castolon trading post;
4. To compare the early history of Castolon to that of their own communities in the early-to-mid 1900s.

Background

Time Period: Late 19th century to early 20th century
Topics: The lesson could be used in teaching units on westward expansion or United States geography. Students will practice skills of map reading, and analysis of photographs and primary documents.

Grade Level

Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

Subjects

Literacy and Language Arts, Social Studies

Lesson Duration

90 Minutes

Full Lesson Plan