Port Isabel has a rich and interesting history.  The Coachuiltecan and Karankawa Indians lived in this area.  In 1519, the first Spanish explorers with Captain Alonso Pineda arrived here.  In 1523, Spaniard Francis Garay sailed into the Brazos Santiago Pass. Soon after, they tried to establish a small colony here for the purpose of trading with the Port of Matamoros, which was only 3 miles away.  Because of the harsh conditions and ferocious Indians, the colony was abandoned.  From 1560 to the early 1700’s the area was referred to as the ‘Wild Horse Desert‘, inhabited only by the Indians and wildlife.   In the 1770’s there was a small fishing village here. It was called “El Fronton de Santa Isabel”.  From the Brazos Santiago Pass ships could see the steep face of a 20 foot high bluff called a fronton (where Pirates Landing is today).  
    Texas became the 28th state on December 29, 1845, and then the U.S. and Mexico were in a dispute over where the border should be.  On June 11, 1845, President Polk sent General Zachary Taylor and 1500 troops south from Corpus Christi to secure the area.  They built Fort Polk (named after the President) about 1000 feet from the bluff --where the lighthouse is located today.  The fort was constructed of 8 foot high earthen walls around the premises.  This became the supply depot for the Mexican American War.  Tons of supplies and thousands of troops  passed thru Point Isabel  to support the fighting near Brownsville and into Mexico.  Several West Point graduates served here and are honored by our walk of Generals. It also served as the largest military hospital during the war.  The war lasted from 1846 to 1848, and the fort was abandoned in 1850.  Gen. Taylor shortened the name to Point Isabel. The war definitely started the development of Point Isabel.
    The first land grant in Point Isabel was given to Don Rafael Garcia on January 24, 1829.  Other setters and ranchers soon followed.  The California Gold Rush of 1849, brought prosperity to Point Isabel.  Fortune-seekers traveled by steamship to Point Isabel, bought supplies here, and then traveled overhand to California.  
    The first railroad in the Port Isabel area was built in 1865 as a troop transport by U.S. Army engineers at the request of General Philip H. Sheridan.  Its 18-mile road served as part of the 42-inch gauge rail constructed in 1872 by Simon Celaya, the first rail to connect Port Isabel and Brownsville.  The Rio Grande Railroad tracks extended out into the bay 1,500 feet.  Freight could be loaded and unloaded directly from ship to train.  The train carried both passengers and freight on the 22 mile trip to Brownsville.  The railroad was used until 1919.  Today Pelican Station commemorates the old railroad site.
    Point Isabel became  noticed for its great fishing, good weather, its port facilities, and great agriculture in the surrounding area.  It became a playground for the rich and famous, so they had to develop the city to meet the needs of the people.  The new slogan was “Building a city where a city belongs”.  With $875,000 in bonds sold, the city moved forward with projects.  The bluff provided over one million yards of fill for low lying areas.  Ten miles of roads were graded and surfaced over 425 acres in the town.  Maxan Street was the first paved road in Port Isabel.  Port Isabel was incorporated March 13, 1928 .  They changed the name  to Port Isabel, in anticipation of it becoming a vital port city.  
   
In the 1950s and 60’s Port Isabel was known as the shrimping capital of the world.  It became a tourist destination, known for its great fishing.