Weslaco Museum
Tropical Trail Region
The museum examines economic and social changes from 18th-century Spanish colonial ranching to mid-20th century agribusiness. Interesting artifacts include 1920s buttons made of mussel shells harvested from the Rio Grande. Photos recall the 1930s Weslaco Style Show that honored agriculture via an unusual contest in which women made clothes using local fruits and vegetables. One exhibit pays tribute to hometown hero Harlon Block, the only Texan shown in the famous World War II photo of soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. Another display shows a guitar covered in fellow soldiers’ signatures, carried by Weslaco native Amador Cuellar during the Vietnam War.