Brownsville Wharf Case
Jacqueline E. Timm
General
The Brownsville Wharf Case, an incident in the history of the boundary between the United States and Mexico, arose in August 1871, when Francisco Palacio, acting chargé d'affaires of Mexico, called the attention of Secretary of State Hamilton Fish to certain construction work on the left bank of the Rio Grande by the Wharf Company of Brownsville. Points involved were interference with the free and safe navigation of the river, invasion of Mexican territory by water, and the danger of altering the dividing line between the two countries. After investigation the United States government reported that the works did not hinder navigation or occasion appreciable destruction of the Mexican bank.
