HISTORIAN RENE TORRES' ARTICLE ABOUT OUR CHERISHED BOCA CHICA BEACH

 Historian Rene Torres sent me the newspaper clipping of his article below about our cherished Boca Chica Beach.  I've retyped it in larger font for easier reading: 

With the widespread development of Padre Island and the most recent visitor to the area, SpaceX, Boca Chica has lost its luster for many.

For many years Boca Chica Beach afforded Valley folks the nearest and most accessible beach before the building of the Queen Isabella Causeway at Port Isabel in February 1954.

Allow me to take you on a journey to Boca Chica Beach that will rekindle the spirit of yesteryear.

Waves of fun. . .

Located at the end of Highway 4 out of Brownsville, it extended from the Rio Grande on one side to the Brazos Pass on the other, about 8 miles distance.

It was on weekends that my dad would take us to the beach, which brought instant smiles as we knew that playing on the beach was a mood-changing experience.

From my vantage point, it was a brush with nature that left a lasting impressions.  The ride then seemed longer than today, but it was worth it.  You knew you were close to the beach when you could smell the fragrance of the sea breeze.

Once we got close to Brownsville's four corners, you could see the exodus of cars heading to the beach on Highway 4.  The highway was completely paved by the summer of 1930.

For those families that did not own a car, hitching a ride with a neighbor was always a possibility.  We all got along!

Once you arrived, it was common rule to park side by side.  That was strictly followed, but there were always some that decided differently.

We had freedom to run as far as the eye could see and enjoyed a game of hide and seek on the giant sand dunes with peals of laughter, I might add.

We were there until the face of the sun disappeared.  But, sometimes, on a moon lit night, we stayed in place to enjoy the splendor of sleeping under the stars.

Going back in time. . . 

In those yonder years, Boca Chica Beach went unnoticed to the rest of the Valley.  It was Brownsville's beach and the people of Brownsville owned it.  

Today, piece by piece, we are losing our connection with nature and our most popular recreational sanctuary.

Elon Musk, who is clueless about our history, along with local government officials, is redefining the rules and boundaries of when we can visit our beach.

To this point, all we've received from SpaceX are explosions and the most recent one, according to Musk, was successful.  How do you figure that?

At this point, we all should be expressing glances of concern.

And, do not be surprised if one day, our billion dollar friend will own Highway 4 and develop Boca Chica Beach to his liking.  We the people will have no access to our natural playground.

Today's digital kids will not have the opportunity to smell the ocean breeze but, instead, will be exposed to rocket fuel.

The future will reveal how much return we will get from this investment, but, for now, we must put up with the obvious.

The truth is that this region is among the poorest in the country and it continues to embrace the concept of taking from the poor, through tax abatements, to give to the rich.  Does that make sense to you?

There is one thing, however, that Elon Musk cannot take from us and that's our precious souvenirs, the memories of our outings to Boca Chica Beach.

See you at the beach . . . .the other one!