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[Brownsville, Texas: Gladys Porter Zoo, the Battle of Palo Alto, and South Padre Island]
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This film is unedited television footage regarding events and sites in Brownsville, Texas. The video begins in Brownsville's Gladys Porter Zoo and Wildlife Sanctuary, where the camera crew films: lemurs, lions, giraffes, antelopes, tortoises, chimpanzees, monkeys, hummingbirds, gorillas, a Texas Sable Palm jungle, and flamingos. The zoo's Deputy Director Zoologist, Pat Birchfield, and the Sanctuary Manager, Rose Farmer, discuss wildlife in the region. Next, Heritage Historian Walter Plitt lists and describes various sites of historical importance in the Brownsville area, including the Battlefield of Palo Alto, where his interview takes place. He discusses the battle which took place there--the first of the Mexican-American War--and the strategic movements of the Mexican Army, led by Gen. Mariano Arista, and the U.S. Army, led by Gen. Zachary Taylor, during the course of the battle. The video ends on South Padre Island, and this last segment of video shows the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, Port Isabel lighthouse, and the resort and market activity of the city of South Padre Island. Other footage in the video includes Brownsville Museum and the Southern Lines Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot building.