Old hidalgo pumphouse museum and world birding center
TPWD, City of Hidalgo Team up to Expand Fishing Opportunities
Aug. 16, 2022
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AUSTIN — City of Hidalgo, using grant funding provided through a partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), has completed a series of projects to improve fish habitat and fishing access at Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Channel. The site is located directly adjacent to the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center.
This project is one of 21 funded through the Habitat and Angler Access Program that was launched in 2021 to expand angling opportunities and improve fish habitats. The city of Hidalgo received a grant to enhance fish habitat and improve shoreline angling access at the historic Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Channel site. The grant provides funds for the construction of a T-head fishing pier and an additional fishing dock, plus fish habitat structures and a pond aeration system. Earlier this summer, TPWD stocked several retired Florida largem
There is a 4 1/2-mile (roundtrip) asphalt bike trail behind the Pumphouse on the levee; you can go east to the wetlands, or west underneath the border crossing. While on this bike trail you may encounter several of our Brown and White Pelicans; Cormorant ducks, Grey Hawks, Turkey Vultures and American Coots are just a few of many waterfowls that can be seen while visiting the bike trail.
Tropical kingfishers – both green and ringed – like the combination of water and woodland along the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse’s now abandoned intake channel.
Photography Sessions are also available at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum and World Birding Center.
Easy Access Species:
Migrating passerines are attracted to the feeding stations and water features.
Site Specialties:
Typical valley specialties such as Plain Chachalaca, Great Kiskadee, Green jay, Long-billed Thrasher, Altamira Oriole and Olive Sparrow.
Access Information, Amenities and Accessibility
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ADDRESS: 902 S. Second Street, Hidalgo, Texas
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HOURS:Subject to change without notice
Sundays - 9:
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PUMP IT UP!
The Hidalgo Pumphouse, built for commercial-scale irrigation in 1909, drew water from the Rio Grande and channeled it to thousands of crop-laden acres nearby. The pumphouse, operated first by steam before coal and electricity followed, performed its duties until 1983 when an all-electric pumphouse was installed downstream.
Today, the Hidalgo Pumphouse has been restored as a museum and its surrounding grounds serve as one of the World Birding Center sites. Visitors may tour the pumphouse and marvel at the enormous machinery that once powered the pumps. Interpretive text and images explain the pumphouse system in terms easy to understand. The network of smokestacks, pumps, gates, intake pipes, and boilers were originally built alongside the Rio Grande but a flood in 1933 changed the river's course by about a half-mile, leaving the pumphouse high and dry. Engineers dug a channel from the river's new course back to the pumphouse in order for the water to reach the intake pipes.
Today, the lake-like channel makes an ideal habitat for spotting some of the Valley's subtropical birds; or for enjoying something that requires perhaps a little less energy—like
Old Hidalgo Pumphouse - World Birding Center
The Old Hidalgo Pumphouse - World Birding Center offers visitors a blend of historical and natural attractions. This site, originally built in 1909 as a steam-driven irrigation pumping station, now serves as both a museum and a prime spot for bird watching.
The museum aspect of the Pumphouse provides awareness into the area's agricultural history and the role of irrigation in shaping the region. Visitors can explore the restored pumping equipment and learn about the technological advancements of the preceding 20th century. The exhibits are informative, though some visitors observe that they could benefit from more interactive elements or updated presentations.
As part of the Earth Birding Center network, the location is a draw for wings enthusiasts. The surrounding grounds and nearby areas offer opportunities to spot various bird species, particularly during migration seasons. However, the birding experience can be hit-or-miss, depending on the time of year and recent weather conditions.
The staff is generally described as friendly and knowledgeable, willing to share information about both the historical aspects and the local wildlife. Gui
Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum
In the early days of the 20th century the Rio Grande Valley was booming and growing. A coop of farmer built a pumphouse to pump Rio Grande River water into the local irrigation system.
The pumphouse was built right on the river with two pump intake pipes dipped right in the river. The pumps were an engineering marvel of its day. The two pumps were driving by a steam engine powered with steam produced by a gas fired boiler.The irrigation pumps were only used a few times a year depending on the needs of the fields and the crops that were in season. To get the pumps up and running took the crew about four days to get the boilers fired up and steam that was sufficient to drive the steam engines and pumps.
Then there was big storm and the Rio Grande river changed course and left the pump inlets high and dry. Then they dug a canal to the pump inlet that you can see today.
Eventually technology bypassed the old Hidalgo Pumphouse. It was replaced at a nearby location with large elective driven pumps because the crops still need water and we all depend on the farmers of the Rio Grande Valley.
Today the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum is a great mus