Palmito Ranch, located just west of Boca Chica near Texas Route 4, is the southernmost ranch in the United States.

Owned by Professor Tony Zavaleta’s family for well over a century, it is located on the Rio Grande River just a stone’s throw from the state of Matamoros, Mexico.

The ranch was the site of the last battle of the Civil War, fought nearly a month after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865 as Maximilian’s soldiers looked on from the Mexican side of the river.

Once a working ranch with horses, sheep, and goats, the land today is idle and the ranch house serves as a family camp where Hope and I were privileged to stay as guests for a night in May 2010.