Historical RGV Palm Films

[Arecaceae78743]

The other day i got curious about palm tree history in Texas, so i combed through the Texas archives to see what i could find. I believe this is very relevant today in 2021 because it shows what we where and what we are know especially since we had that big freeze that killed an uncountable number of palms across Texas. We often can take for granted things that are here now and that seem common place, its funny how we sometimes only realize the full magnitude of something ones its gone.   If you have any personal testimony on historical palms please share for those who where not around to experience them. Especially on palms we no longer have. Thanks and enjoy the videos. 

I have clipped out sections from the films that have palms but i also suggest you look at the whole videos because its also very significant  

 

this fist one is from way back in 1927 called “The Lure of the Rio Grand Valley”

https://texasarchive.org/2009_02291?b=356&e=450

 

This amazing footage in color from the 40s shows tropical landscaping 

https://texasarchive.org/2008_00896

 

Probably from the 50s shows a family grapefruit picking 

https://texasarchive.org/2010_03407?b=85&e=94

 

“President Eisenhower Visits Texas” in 1953 it shows assorted border towns  

https://texasarchive.org/2009_00581 

 

one from the 60s called “Padre Island” a trafic safety video 

https://texasarchive.org/2009_00845?b=751&e=773

 

and this one from 1982 called “Snowbirds” near Weslaco TX shows amazing rows of CIDPs and citrus, you wont find this anymore !

https://texasarchive.org/2018_00726?b=349&e=379

 

An extra one called “White Island” from 1963 showing padre island.  Almost no palms though 

https://texasarchive.org/2018_00042

Edited December 1, 2021 by Arecaceae78743
.

[Xenon]

Texas has never been as tropical as it was at the end of 2009 imo 

There were house sized mangos and Cook pines in Houston along with royals and foxtails, even a tall fruiting Carpentaria in Galveston

Corpus had a fruiting coconut or two

The RGV had dozens of mature coconuts and the streets were lined with Ficus benjamina 

FWIW 2021 wasn't quite a landscape changing freeze in the RGV compared to Corpus or Houston. There are still plenty of royals and foxtails. Large Ficus kept their main trunks or even larger branches. The coconuts were always quasi-unicorns so nobody will notice that 98% of them are gone. 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Xenon