Corpus Christi in Nueces County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Coastal Hide, Tallow and Packing Industries
Photographed By James Hulse, August 31, 2021
1. Coastal Hide, Tallow and Packing Industries Marker
Inscription.
Coastal Hide, Tallow and Packing Industries. . Facilities for the rendering of hides and tallow and for meat packing flourished along the Texas Coastal Bend during the last half of the nineteenth century, when hundreds of thousands of wild longhorns roamed South Texas; Packery Channel was named for the facilities located along the waterway. At a time when long-term meat preservation was unavailable, the abundance of free range cattle and the inability to either ship the live cattle to eastern population centers or to effectively and efficiently preserve beef on site for later transport caused local entrepreneurs to develop ways to produce other marketable products from the animals. Hides were used in leather production, buttons and combs were made out of horn, and ground bones were used to produce fertilizer. Small amounts of meat were preserved by pickling, but the process was relatively ineffective. , Many documented packing and rendering plants dotted the coast, and waste was dumped into the bays and channels. The factories caused additional problems in sanitation and public health. Because of the abundance of cattle and their resulting low monetary value, factories often stripped the hides and other non-edible parts from the carcasses and left the meat to spoil, causing terrible odors and pest infestations. , The factories thrived for several decades, but hard winters and droughts in 1873 and 1874 depleted the cattle supply, making it no longer profitable to slaughter cattle just for their hides, tallow and bones. Because of this change in the cattle market, most of the facilities shuttered their doors by the late 1870s.
Facilities for the rendering of hides and tallow and for meat packing flourished along the Texas Coastal Bend during the last half of the nineteenth century, when hundreds of thousands of wild longhorns roamed South Texas; Packery Channel was named for the facilities located along the waterway. At a time when long-term meat preservation was unavailable, the abundance of free range cattle and the inability to either ship the live cattle to eastern population centers or to effectively and efficiently preserve beef on site for later transport caused local entrepreneurs to develop ways to produce other marketable products from the animals. Hides were used in leather production, buttons and combs were made out of horn, and ground bones were used to produce fertilizer. Small amounts of meat were preserved by pickling, but the process was relatively ineffective.
Many documented packing and rendering plants dotted the coast, and waste was dumped into the bays and channels. The factories caused additional problems in sanitation and public health. Because of the abundance of cattle and their resulting low monetary value, factories often stripped the hides and other non-edible parts from the carcasses and left the meat to spoil, causing terrible odors and pest infestations.
The factories thrived for several decades, but hard
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winters and droughts in 1873 and 1874 depleted the cattle supply, making it no longer profitable to slaughter cattle just for their hides, tallow and bones. Because of this change in the cattle market, most of the facilities shuttered their doors by the late 1870s.
Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16476.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.
Location. 27° 37.564′ N, 97° 13.254′ W. Marker is in Corpus Christi, Texas, in Nueces County. Marker is on Packery Channel Park Road, 0.1 miles east of South Padre Island Drive, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located at the entrance to the Packery Channel Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 14218 South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi TX 78418, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Hide and tallow factories flourished on the Texas coast, particularly in Aransas County, from 1840 to 1880, but chiefly from the Mexican War to 1875. Those in existence before 1845 were of negligible importance. An English firm, Jones and Company, did business at Liberty Landing in 1840, about the same time that Richard Grimes and his son, Bradford, had another packery on Trespalacios Creek in Matagorda County. Source: The Handbook of Texas
(Submitted on October 1, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed By James Hulse, August 31, 2021
3. The view of the markers from the road
Credits. This page was last revised on October 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on October 1, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.