Originally part of a Spanish land grant, the Relampago Ranch community lay along the stage and military route from Rio Grande City to Brownsville. In 1852 Thaddeus Rhodes acquired acreage here when he came as Hidalgo County clerk, and later he served as commissioner and judge. He and Jose Maria Mora, who bought adjoining land about 1856, helped bring economic and social stability. Mora and later his son Melchor, a deputy sheriff and Texas Ranger, farmed, ranched, and operated the only general store in the area. Descendants still live on the property.