Santa Helena

Castolon, also known as Santa Helena, was on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, twenty-three miles southwest of Panther Junction in southwestern Brewster County. The first known resident was Cipriano Hernández, a native of Camargo, Chihuahua, who in 1903 bought three sections of land on the American side of the Rio Grande five or six miles downstream from the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon. Hernández, who called the place Santa Helena, irrigated the fertile bottomland and grew wheat, corn, oats, and other grains, which he sold. He also opened the first store in the area.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.