On my bike, I zip down the battle’s front line, pretending I’m a part of U.S. General Zachary Taylor’s cavalry. This is the first day of the War with Mexico, and it’s May 8, 1846. The Mexican Army is just across the prairie and dense chapar-ral, which is bursting with yellow wildflowers.
The soldiers on the other side are close but not quite in clear sight. Cannon fire is all around me.
And then I ride down the Mexican front line, for the Palo Alto National Battlefield in Brownsville provides both vantage points. The asphalt walking paths on the historic battle lines are perfect bike lanes. This morning, I hear (if in my imagination only) the sounds of the first battle of the war: cannon fire, soldiers shouting, horses neighing.
This site, now under the care of the National Park Service, remains largely untouched since the first battle of the War with Mexico 170 years ago. Flags and cannons mark the open prairie, making it easy to imagine and wonder about the events and the emotions of the day. Inside the Visitor Center, exhibits tell the story of the events leading up to the battle and the consequences of the war, which dramatically increased the size of the nation. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ceded vast stretches of land to the United States, and established the national border of Mexico at the Rio Grande River. In less than a mile — on bike or by foot — visitors get a sense of the battlefield and the opening moments of the war. A bonus for the visitor: the Palo Alto National Battlefield is the northern point of the nearly 10-mile-long Brownsville Historic Battlefield Hike and Bike Trail, which reaches down to the Mitte Cultural District near downtown Brownsville and makes it easy to experience the entire city on foot or by bicycle.
BLAST FROM THE PAST While both Mexican and American troops employed field artillery during the Battle of Palo Alto, Gen. Zachary Taylor’s 18-pound siege cannons proved particularly effective in repelling the enemy.
A short distance from the trail’s midpoint is the site of the second battle of the War with Mexico, the Resaca de la Palma Battlefield, also managed by the National Park Service. That battle took place a day after Palo Alto, on May 9; both days, the Mexican army retreated in disorder. By May 11, when war was formally declared, the Mexican army was again across the Rio Grande, and the rest of the war took place on Mexican soil.
A small portion of the Resaca de la Palma battlefield remains intact. Today, visitors can enjoy both battlefield sites free of charge.
Along the Brownsville Historic Battlefield Hike and Bike Trail, cyclists and walkers get a sense of this city, which is rapidly becoming a bicycle-friendly town. In a few short years, city leaders (with assistance from the state nonprofit Bike Texas and several national partners) have made dramatic improvements in their infrastructure and culture. In 2015, Brownsville was recognized with a Bronze Award as a Bicycle-Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists.
The Battlefield Trail is one of several satisfying cycling trails and routes, currently representing 64 miles across the city, connecting museums and the zoo, a state park and the downtown business district.
