Near Linn in Hidalgo County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
El Sal del Rey
(The Salt of the King)
Photographed by James Hulse, January 28, 2021
1. El Sal del Rey Marker
Directly to the north. Upon Spanish discovery, 1746, claimed for King, under old law that salt was money.
People of wide area got salt here. 1863-64 works aided Texas in the Civil War. Later disputes over El Sal del Rey established Texas laws for private ownership of minerals.
Placed on the
National Register
Of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
August 27 1979
Erected 1964 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 1441.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1746.
Location. 26° 31.43′ N, 98° 4.706′ W. Marker is near Linn, Texas, in Hidalgo County. It is on State Highway 186 3½ miles east of U.S. 281, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located at a small parking lot for the El Sal del Rey park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Linn TX 78563, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South Texas. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: La Noria Cardeneρa (approx. 3.1 miles away); Bazαn and Longoria Murders (approx. 3½ miles away); First Baptist Church of Hargill
this page online
Regarding El Sal del Rey. La Sal del Rey, sometimes ungrammatically called El Sal del Rey and also known as La Purificaciσn, is a salt lake four miles southeast of Linn, TX.
Also see . . . La Sal del Rey.
Spanish explorers claimed the lake for the king of Spain and declared it open for public use. In 1798 the lake became part of the La Noria de San Salvador del Tule land grant, issued by Spain to Capt. Juan Josι Ballν. In Spanish Texas wooden carts were used to haul the salt into Mexico; the tracks left by the wagons can still be found around the lake. Rock salt from La Sal del Rey was the first export out of the lower Rio Grande valley. Source: The Handbook of Texas(Submitted on February 6, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed by James Hulse, January 28, 2021
2. National Register of Historic Places Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, January 28, 2021
3. El Sal del Rey Marker and National Register of Historic Places Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, January 28, 2021
4. The view of the El Sal del Rey Marker next to the road
Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 6, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,206 times since then and 107 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 6, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
