La Sal del Rey, Edinburg, Texas

I was told about La Sal del Rey, which is just 6 miles from our campground, so Jim and I decided to take a drive out there this afternoon. The first place we stopped at was right off of Highway 186, but it was 1-1/2 miles one way from the parking lot to the lake, and Jim did not want to walk that far. There is another entrance off of Brushline Road, with two parking lots -- one out by the road and another one closer to the boardwalk and lake, which is where we drove to. It was much easier for us to walk down this short trail than the other trailhead.

We walked around the small boardwalk and saw lots of footprints from the bobcats, javelina, and deer. The only wildlife we saw were the little birds in the lake eating the brine shrimp. There were also bugs in the area (or many sand fleas?) because I got bit up big time, all over my belly, buttocks and arms. And they itched -- luckily I had some cortisone cream at the trailer. And why is it that I get bit, but Jim does not? 

Some history of La Sal del Rey ~~

Sitting atop an estimated 4 million tons of salt is La Sal Del Rey. It is one of hypersaline lakes in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Ten times saltier than the ocean, the lake was once a valuable source of salt for Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and western pioneers. Today, it is important to many wildlife species that call the salt lakes home.

This 530-acre salt lake has been a source of salt to humans since prehistoric times and is the main geologic feature and name of the area. The lake and surrounding area support many interesting and beautiful wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, bobcat, javelina, and coyote. 

The lake is also a favorite stopover for migratory birds, including wintering sandhill cranes. Along the shore you will see black-necked stilts, snowy plovers, and many other shore birds.

The King's Salt: A Long History ~~

The salty lake was an important source of salt for aboriginal people, Spanish settlers, miners from Mexico, citizens of the Republic of Texas, Confederate soldiers, and modern-day Texans. Named by early Spanish colonists, La Sal del Rey means "The Salt of the King." By royal decree, all minerals in the New World were considered the property of the King of Spain. Because of its long and significant history, the portion of the area surrounding the lake is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A Long History ~~

As far back as prehistoric times, the lakes of this area were an important source of salt for many different people. Prehistoric native tribes would gather here to collect salt, which they used to preserve meat, tan hides, season foods, and also for trading purposes. 

As believed, the first European to visit the lakes was Cabeza de Vaca in the early 1500s. Later, La Sal del Rey was rediscovered by the Spaniards who quickly claimed the area for the King of Spain. Salt was the first export of the Rio Grande Valley, originally hauled out by ox carts and shipped to all of the missions in Texas and as far south as Mexico City.

Cabeza de Vaca

The salt lakes have had many owners and undergone many changes. In 1747, Spanish settlers were the first to begin commercially harvesting the salt. When Texas declared itself a Republic in 1836, it laid claim to the highly coveted salt lakes. During the Civil War, the salt lakes changed ownership again, this time to the Confederacy, who used the salt to finance the war as well as for ammunitions manufacturing and consumption. After several attempts at manufacturing salt, Union soldiers finally destroyed the salt mining operations in 1863. Eventually, the lakes came under private ownership in 1866, and the salt was harvested commercially until 1936.

Texas and Northern Mexico as they were at the end
of the Mexican American War in 1849

Over the years, La Sal del Rey and its two companion lakes on the Teniente and East Lake Tracts have been used for many things, including brine shrimp harvesting, therapeutic wading pools, harvesting of decorative salt crystals, and for drilling fluids and lubricants for oil field operations. Finally, in 1990, La Sal del Rey was purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the Elouise Campbell family and became part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The history-rich salt lakes are now under the protective umbrella of the National Wildlife Refuge System and are managed for the benefit of wildlife and current and future generations.

The area around the lake is very inhospitable, full of small trees, brush and prickly pear cactus. 

We walked down to the lake and did stick our fingers in it to give it a taste, and sure enough, it is really salty. I did not let Lucy drink out of it or play in the water. From these pictures, you can see the salt crystals all over the sand.

The following was written by Tom A. Fort, historian at the Museum of South Texas History, Edinburg, Texas ~~

Located in north-central Hidalgo County, La Sal del Rey is one of several natural salt lakes on the coastal plain north of the Rio Grande. Throughout historic times and likely throughout prehistory as well, the crystal-covered shores of La Sal del Rey attracted both people and animals. Salt is an important mineral for human nutrition and was a critical ingredient for preserving meat and animal hides. Hunter-gatherer peoples likely obtained salt for their own uses, and possibly for trade as well. Hunters also would have found an abundance of game animals pulled to the natural salt exposures on the lake shores.

Prehistoric trade in the lower Rio Grande region is evidenced by pottery shards found at occupation sites near Brownsville, which originated in the Huastec culture area on Mexicos Gulf Coast near Vera Cruz. Shell ornaments characteristic of the peoples near the Gulf coast (the Brownsville Complex) occur at sites well inland, including Hidalgo County. Salt may well have been a factor in these trading activities. In addition, local lore maintains that Indians from the Mexican interior, including Aztecs, obtained salt from La Sal del Rey. Accounts of Aztec trade with northern regions, as told in Spanish writings, may lend credence to this tradition. More tangible are obsidian artifacts found in the Valley: their origins have been traced as far away as central Mexico, indicating definite links with that region.

Prehistoric campers at La Sal del Rey left behind scatters of stone tools and projectile points. These artifacts sometimes occur as surface finds or may be seen eroding from gullies around the lake's perimeter. To date, however, archaeological surveys have been minimal and there have been no excavations at the lake.

Salt mining in historic times, by Spanish, Mexican, and later Anglo settlers, is well documented. Both salt lakes were mined, but La Sal del Rey was renowned in particular for the quantities of salt it yielded. As salt was taken out, it was renewed within a short time. Spanish explorers noted La Sal del Rey and La Sal Vieja, and the valuable salinas were identified on maps by the 1700s. Under Spanish law, mineral resources belonged by right to the crown. Its richness earned La Sal del Rey its name, meaning the Kings salt.

Under special provision from the Crown, salt miners salineros dug salt from the lakes, and traders carried it south by mule trains and oxcarts. This same basic pattern continued for decades, under Mexican, Texan, U.S., and Confederate rule. In the Civil War, salt was a valued trade commodity for the Confederacy. During the war, camels left over from the U. S. Army's famed Camel Corps experiment of the 1850s were among the means of transport used to carry salt from the lakes to Brownsville and Matamoros, where it was loaded onto foreign ships.

La Sal del Rey played a key role in the history of Texas mineral rights. The retention of mineral rights by the sovereign power continued from Spanish Colonial times into the 1860s. During that time, a dispute over rights of ownership to salt from this deposit resulted in a state constitutional provision that gave mineral rights to the land owner.

Salt mining continued at La Sal del Rey into the 1930s. Despite centuries of mining, the lake still holds an estimated four million tons of salt within its massive salt dome. Lying in a natural depression, the lake is fed periodically from runoff during periods of rainfall. After decades of farming, its surrounding landscape is reverting to natural habitat. To the east, in Willacy County, is La Sal Vieja -- actually comprised of two lakes separated by a narrow strip of land. Both salines are home to a wide diversity of native plants and wildlife, and both are within the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (LRGVNWR). At present, only La Sal del Rey is accessible to the public. Visitors can view the now-quiet and historic saline, walk its shoreline, and imagine the prehistoric and historical activities that centered around it.

The main access point for La Sal del Rey is a parking area and trail head, located about 4 miles east of San Manuel (18 miles north of Edinburg on US 281) on State Highway 186. According to Refuge information, the trail is about one mile each way. The Refuge encourages visitors to go with a friend or in groups, and to take along water. Summer heat can reach 100 or more; winter daytime temperatures, by contrast, often are in the 70s. Around the lake, the native brush growth increases in density each year. It is home to many species, including rattlesnakes. Guided tours are offered on occasion during the winter season. Interested persons should call the LRGVNWR headquarters at Alamo, Texas [(956) 784-7500] or check the website. (The LRGVNWR is a partner with the Santa Ana NWR, with which it shares its headquarters and website.)