•A Publication of the Jim Hogg County Enterprise

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 December 19, 2012

James Stephens Hogg1851 - 1906

South TexasCelebrating

the rich culture and

history of South Texas...

of Jim HoggCounty history

100Years

History

Featuring• Alfredo E. Cardenas• Dr. Lino Garcia Jr.• Jim Hogg County Museum Foundation • Jim Hogg County Historical Commission

Original articles by

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Volume 1, No 1SUPPLEMENT TO THEJIM HOGG COUNTY

ENTERPRISE304 E. Galbraith,

Hebbronville, Texas 78361Copyright 1998 by the Jim Hogg County Enterprise

All rights reserved.No part of this publication

may be reproduced by any means without the

express permission of the publishers.

Entered as Second Class

Matter at Hebbronville, Texas under May 5, 1926, at the Post Office the Act of March 8, 1979, Second

Class Postage Paid at Hebbronville, Jim Hogg

County, Texas 78361.POSTMASTER: Send

address changes to Jim Hogg County Enterprise

304 E. Galbraith, P.O. Box 759

Hebbronville, Texas 78361.Poncho Hernandez Jr.

Editor/Publisher361-460-9493

Subscription rates are

$35.00 per year.Call (361) 527-3261 for information. Base

advertising rate is $6.00 per column inch. Volume and frequency discounts

available.Contact us by email at

enterprise78361@aol.comSocial Media: facebook.

com/enterprisenews

PHONE: 361-527-3261FAX: 361-527-4545

PHONE; 361-460-9493FAX: 361-256-2015

MEMBERTexas Press Association

South Texas History

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 2

aboutSouth Texas History JAMES STEPHEN HOGG

By Archie P. McDonald, PhD

H i s t o r i a n Joe Frantz ob-served that all Texas governors are judged by the standard set by James Stephen Hogg. Frantz said he knew this was true because the introduction of nearly every gov-ernor in the twen-tieth century said that the incumbent was "the best since Jim Hogg."

Jim Hogg certainly was one of the best, and he claimed another distinc-tion: the first governor born in the state. Hogg was born in Rusk, Texas, in 1851. He was tutored privately before attending a formal school in Alabama.

Hogg returned to Texas and worked as a typesetter for the news-paper in Rusk before editing news-papers in Tyler, Longview, and Quitman. While working in Quitman, Hogg married Sarah (Sallie) Stinson. He served as county attorney for Wood County and then district attor-ney for the Seventh District.

Hogg was elected attorney general of Texas in 1886, the year Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross was elected governor. Ross supported Hogg's crusades against the insurance and railroad industries, which resulted in savings for policy holders and better transportation services.

Hogg lost some, too. In the "Grass Lease Cases" he was unable to force renegotiation of "sweetheart" deals that allowed West Texas cattle rais-ers use of public lands for grazing without paying market value, and he

On The Cover ...

See JIM HOGG, Page 6

Supplement to The Enterprise

Cover design & artwork by Julissa Hernandez

Enterprise readers will know that history is a regular part of our publication. In the past two years, we’ve taken a keen interest in providing historical articles written by proven historians and have published them regularly in the pages of The Enterprise.

With the 100th anniversary of Jim Hogg County quickly approaching, we believe the introduction of a publication focusing on our county and South Texas history and appearing once monthly would supplement the many events scheduled by our county commissions and their commissions.

As such, South Texas Magazine will appear in The Enterprise once monthly and will be distributed both at the newsstand and to our subscribers at no ad-ditional cost.

Our thanks to the Jim Hogg County Historical Commission, the Museum Foundation of Hebbronville, the Texas State Historical Commission (STHC), TexasEscapes.com and to the many contributors and writers that have provided and have agreed to contribute articles and photographs of our history for pub-lication.

We also invite our readers and subscribers to submit family histories and photographs to be included in the pages of South Texas History at no additional cost.

We hope you enjoy our first issue and request that contributions for publica-tion be emailed to enterprise78361@aol.com or by mail to: South Texas History, P.O. Box 759, Hebbronville, Texas 78361.

The Editor

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 3

JHC Historical Commission announces 100th Anniversary Commemorative Book

Reserve your ad space now!

Jim Hogg County will be celebrating its cen-tennial anniversary in 2013 and we are looking forward to a year filled with activities and events that will honor our county’s 100th birthday. To com-memorate this special year in our county’s history, the JHC Judge and Commissioners appointed the JHC Historical Commission, in partnership with the Museum Foundation of Hebbronville, to organize events and presentations spotlighting the county’s history, people and places.

The local historical organizations are currently in the process of completing the publication of a 100th Anniversary book which will highlight our rich history and culture. Included in this book will be the updated history and information form the 50th anniversary book along with full color and black and white photographs of the county’s buildings, landscapes, families and events.

As a citizen or business owner in Jim Hogg County, you have the unique opportunity to be in-cluded in this once-in-a-lifetime publication through

a sponsor profile at a cost of $500 per page. Each profile will tell the story of your business or family and their part in the history and growth of our county over the last century. You will have the opportunity to design your page and include any information and pictures you feel are necessary to tell your story. You may also include a congratulatory message for the county in your profile.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to highlight your family or business in this milestone event and publication commemorating our county’s history. The anniversary book will go on sale in the Summer of 2013 and will be featured at our County Centennial Celebration Banquet on June 15, 2013.

Members of the JHC Historical Commission and the Museum Foundation of Hebbronville will be contacting you in the next few weeks or you can email us at hebbronvillemf@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Thank you for your support.JHC Historical CommissionMuseum Foundation of Hebbronville

Full Page$500

Half Page $275

QuarterPage$150

Azalia Perez, PresidentBert Martinez, Vice PresidentCarmen Alvarez, SecretaryBryan B. Gonzalez Jr., Treasurer

Members:

Idalia DavilaToni GarzaPatricia GonzalezCynthia GutierrezRudy Gutierrez

I.B. GutierrezHumberto MartinezR.J. MolinaHernan MorenoJorge PenaTony SalinasSylvia Vaello

Jim Hogg HistoricalCommission Board

Idalia Davila, Co-Chair

I.B. Gutierrez, Co-ChairR.J. Molina, Vice ChairAzalia Perez, SecretaryBryan B. Gonzalez, Treasurer

Members:

Carmen AlvarezToni GarzaHumberto MartinezHernan MorenoJorge Pena

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 4

A history of JIM HOGG COUNTY

Reprinted with special permissionThe Handbook of Texas OnlineTexas State Historical Association (TSHA)

J im Hogg Coun-ty (S-14) is in the Rio Grande Plain region of South Texas twenty-eight miles north of the Mexi-can border and sixty-six miles west of the Gulf Coast. The county, named for Governor James Ste-phen Hogg, is bordered by Webb, Duval, Jim Wells, Brooks, Starr, and Zapata counties. Its cen-ter lies at 27°05' north latitude and 98°43' west longitude. Hebbronville, the largest town and county seat, is at the junction of State high-ways 16, 285, and 359, in the north central part of the county. Other com-munities include Agua Nueva, Altavista, Guerra, Randado, and Thomp-sonville. The county comprises 1,136 square miles of flat to gently rolling terrain vegetated with mesquite, scrub brush, grasses, and chap-arral. Elevations range from 200 to 800 feet. In the east, soils are sandy, with areas of light color, or have loamy surfaces over very deep reddish or mottled clayey subsoils. The rest of the county has loamy surfaces over deep reddish or mottled clayey subsoils, with limestone near the surface in some areas. In the early 1990s more than 90 percent of the land was devoted to farming and ranching,

with 2 percent of the farmland under cultiva-tion and 21 percent irri-gated; only 1 percent of the land in the county is considered prime farm-land. Mineral resources include caliche, clay, uranium, oil, and gas. Temperatures range from 44° F to 69° in January and 73° to 99° in July; the average annual tempera-ture is 73°. Rainfall aver-ages twenty-three inches a year, and the growing season lasts 305 days.

The area of Jim Hogg County has been the site of human habitation for perhaps 11,000 years. Among the oldest arti-facts found in the region are stone implements and human remains dating from the Paleo-Indian period (9200 to 6000 B.C.). During the Ar-chaic period (6000 B.C. to A.D. 1000) the local Indian population seems to have increased, and many hunter-gatherers apparently spent time in the area. During this pe-riod the inhabitants sub-sisted mostly on game, wild fruits, seeds, and roots. They carved tools from wood and stone, wove baskets, and made rabbit-skin clothing. The hunting and gathering way of life persisted into the Late Prehistoric pe-riod (A.D. 1000 to the arrival of the Spanish), though during this time

the Indians in the area, who belonged to the Coahuiltecan linguistic group, learned to make pottery and hunted with bows and arrows. By the early 1800s the Coahu-iltecans had succumbed to disease, intermarried with the Spanish, or been driven out by the Lipan Apaches.

Because of its loca-tion away from the coast and primary trade routes, the future county was not immediately settled by the Spanish. Although land grants in the Trans-Nueces region were made as early as 1767, not until the early 1800s was an effort made to settle the area. Some twenty-four land grants were made in the Jim Hogg County area between 1805 and 1836 by the Spanish and Mexican governments. The earliest on record was made in 1805 by the Spanish government to Xavier Vela and covered what later became south central Jim Hogg Coun-ty. Those grantees who chose to develop their land found that it was best suited to ranching. Many ranchers, however, were discouraged by hostile Indians and the region's isolation and returned to Mexico. Between the Texas Revolution and the end of the Mexican War Jim Hogg County lay in the disputed ter-

ritory between the Rio Grande and the Nueces. Numerous grantees fled to Mexico to avoid the hostilities. Others, able to succeed where many failed, established them-selves in the area. Among these early ranchers was Hipolito Garcia, who established the Randado Ranch on land granted him by the Mexican gov-ernment in 1836. Other early ranches in the area included El Noriecitas, Las Animas, San Antonio Viejo, Las Enramadas, Las Vivoritas, El Balu-arte, and San Javier.

Initially, the advent of Anglo settlers in the early 1830s did little to alter the region's economic or social character. In most cases, the new-comers were integrated into the existing soci-ety, either by marriage into wealthy Mexican families or through land purchase. Moreover, un-like the situation in other South Texas counties, Anglo settlers in the area did not immediately dis-place resident Hispanic ranchers, many of whom kept their land and po-litical power well into the twentieth century. The land grants in the future county were confirmed by the Texas legislature in 1852. Among the more important ranches in the late nineteenth century were Randado Ranch,

Las Noriecitas, San Javi-er, and El Sordo.

Immediately after the end of the Mexican War all of the land in the disputed territory was of-ficially made part of the state of Texas. At vari-ous times the area that is

now known as Jim Hogg County was under the jurisdiction of Brooks, Duval, Starr, Zapata, Live Oak, and Hidalgo counties. When Duval County was organized

County Courthouse

First Jurors

See HISTORY, Page 5

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 5

in 1875 it included what is now Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, and Brooks counties. Part of the area was included in Brooks County when it was formed in 1911, but in 1913, in an effort to free themselves from the po-litical dominance of Ed-ward C. Lasater, D. D. David, Reuben Holbein, Oscar Thompson, and A. C. Jones requested from the state legislature that a county separate from Brooks County be formed. D. W. Glasscock, in his first term as a state representative, sponsored legislation establishing Jim Hogg County, in or-der for his constituents "to get out from under the domination of the Mexi-can vote at the other end of the county." Advocates of the new county argued that they were too far removed from Falfurrias, the county seat of Brooks County, a separation that made it difficult for them and their neighbors to do business. Consequently, Jim Hogg County was formed out of Duval and Brooks counties; land from Duval County was included so that the town of Hebbronville, with its railroad station, could be in the new county. Jim Hogg County was orga-nized and established that same year, and elections for county officials were held in July. At that time the school system was or-ganized, and construction of a county courthouse

The first schools in the county began as one-room schools on area ranches in the 1800s. A county school board regulated schools from 1913 to 1921, when the first Hebbronville public school was built.

HISTORY - From Page 4

was started.Despite a growing

influx of new residents around the turn of the century, Jim Hogg Coun-ty was still only sparsely settled at the time of its formation. Before 1880 most of the inhabitants had lived on or around larger ranches. In the late 1870s, for example, Ran-dado Ranch formed the center of a community of 300 residents. But around 1880 the heirs of Igna-cio Benavidez sold their share of Las Noriecitas Ranch to J. R. Hebbron, who established the town of Hebbronville as a stop on the newly built Texas-Mexican Railroad. With the increased demand for beef cattle, the comple-tion of the railroad, and the growth of commercial ranching, the popula-tion slowly increased. By 1920 the county had some 1,914 inhabitants, of whom approximately 500 resided in Hebbron-ville.

On April 17, 1921, the first commercial oil well, Killam No. 3, came in at a depth of 1,461 feet, producing 100 barrels of oil per day. The well was located in the Mirando Valley field near Thomp-sonville. The discovery immediately brought new residents and busi-nesses to the county. The economy nonetheless remained focused primar-ily on ranching. Large-scale commercial farming failed to take hold as it had in other South Texas counties, and as late as 1920 only 501 acres of Jim Hogg County was

under cultivation. Ranch-ing interests, on the other hand, grew steadily. In 1920 there were forty-nine ranches in the county comprising 69,241 acres; by 1930 the ranches num-bered 312, with 532,463 acres. The number of cat-tle in the county increased from 6,296 to 35,293. As a result of the fall of livestock prices during the Great Depression the number of ranches in the county declined by nearly a third during the 1930s, and the number of cattle fell to 22,323 by 1940. During the same period, however, the population steadily increased and at the beginning of World War II the county had a population of 5,416. Many of the new resi-dents were recent im-migrants from Mexico or Hispanics from the Rio Grande valley, who came to work in the oil industry.

In the decades after World War II the county's economy continued to be largely devoted to ranching and petroleum production. Although the number of ranches con-tinued to decline, largely as the result of consoli-dations, the number of cattle increased steadily, reaching nearly 50,000 by the early 1980s. An-nual oil production in the early 1990s was around

800,000 barrels; total production from 1922 to 1991 was 106,003,324 barrels. In the early 1990s the oil and gas industry was the largest employer in the county, with agri-culture running a close second. Most of the ag-ricultural income came from livestock and live-stock products. Grain sor-ghums were the principal crop.

The first schools in the county began as one-room schools on area ranches in the 1800s. A county school board regulated schools from 1913 to 1921, when the first Hebbronville public school was built. Heb-bronville's school district operated from 1921 to 1946. In 1947 the Heb-bronville school district voted to become a county school district. Perhaps because of the county's isolation, its education levels have generally been quite low. As late as 1960 only 10 percent of the adult population had completed high school. In 1982 the county had one school district, with one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. That year the high school gradu-ated seventy students, of whom 64 percent planned to attend college.

Between 1950 and 1970 the population of

the county fell from 5,369 to 4,654. It reached a high of 5,168 in 1980 and was 5,109 in 1990, when nearly 90 percent of the residents lived in Heb-bronville. The population has consistently been at least 80 to 90 percent Hispanic, and in the early 1990s the county ranked near the top of all United States counties in percent-age of Hispanic residents. Mexican Americans have generally supported the Democratic party. Conse-quently, Jim Hogg Coun-ty has been staunchly Democratic; its residents voted Democratic in ev-ery presidential election from the time of the coun-ty's inception in 1913 to 1992. Local politics also continued to be domi-nated by Democrats. In the early 1990s commu-nity services for residents included the Jim Hogg County Public Library, three day-care centers, an ambulance service, a hospital, and a mental health clinic. Four physi-cians were practicing in the county. The county's thirteen churches had an estimated combined membership of 4,453; the largest communion was Catholic. The county had two volunteer fire departments. Hunting is the principal tourist at-traction. The county is in the center of a white-tailed deer and bobwhite quail hunting area, and numerous hunters from around the state come to the county during the fall and winter.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Corpus Christi Caller,

March 11, 1883. Heb-bronville Chamber of Commerce, Fiftieth Anni-versary, Jim Hogg Coun-ty (Hebbronville, Texas, 1963). Thomas Hester, Digging into South Texas Prehistory: A Guide for Amateur Archaeologists (San Antonio: Corona Press, 1980). Jim Hogg County Enterprise, Sil-ver Anniversary edi-tion, March 1939. David Montejano, Anglos and Mexicans in the Mak-ing of Texas, 1836–1986 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1987). WPA Texas Historical Records Survey, Inventory of the County Archives of Texas (MS, Dolph Briscoe Cen-ter for American History, University of Texas at Austin). John R. Wunder, At Home on the Range: Essays on the History of Western Social and Domestic Life (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1985).

Alicia A. GarzaCitation

The following, adapt-ed from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.

Alicia A. Garza, "JIM HOGG COUNTY," Hand-book of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/ar-ticles/hcj06), accessed December 10, 2012.

Published by the Tex-as State Historical As-sociation.

Published by The JHC Enterprise with permis-sion.

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 6

lost the "Drummer Tax" case, or a tax on traveling salesmen. On the whole, though, he won the votes of a ma-jority of Texans because they knew he was fight-ing for their interests. Hogg won reelection in 1888 and then was elected governor in 1890 and 1892.

Governor Hogg in-troduced the Progres-sive Era to Texas. He persuaded the legislature to create the Railroad Commission, the first state regulatory agency in America, and institute a number of reforms in stock and bond transac-tions.

After retiring from the governor's office in 1895, Hogg, who had not made much money while in public service,

became a millionaire through the practice of law and lucrative invest-ments associated with the new oil industry. His daughter, Ima Hogg, used that fortune in many phil-anthropic ways until her own death in 1975.

And no, there were no children named Ura Hogg or Hesa Hogg.

All Things Historical August 27, 2000Published with

permission.TEXAS ESCAPES

(EDITOR’S NOTE: A charitable donation has been made to a Hebbron-ville charity in exchance for the right to publish this article.)

JIM HOGG - From Page 2 HebbronvilleH ebbronvi l le bears the name of a man whose career at its twilight was more colorful than western skies.

James R. Heb-bron was bong in London, England in 1828 and spent most of his life in California arriving there in 1852.

He was a pioneer miner, dairyman, sheep and cattleman.

He was much interested in this section of Texas where he acquired a sizeable ranch which was managed by his son, Arthur.

Mr. Hebbron was know as the “Father of the California Rodeo” and is said to have been the founder of the Republican party in Monterey County, California.

He died at the age of 98, “the grand old man of Monterey County” who gave our town his name.

By Toni Garza

The town was established in 1883, when the Texas-Mex-ican Railway Company built through that area. Francisco P. Pena, operator of Pena Station on that route, refused to sell land for a town site to the Texas-Mexican. The company then approached James R. Hebbron, a local rancher, who arranged for the sale of land for a new town site, near Pena. The old train station at Pena was then loaded on a flat car, moved 1 1/2 miles west, and named Hebbronville.

In 1887 a school, the Colegio Altamirano, was established in the community with Rosendo Barrera as instructor. It was funded by prominent Mexican-American families who wanted their children to learn Spanish and Mexican culture and traditions.

Between 1913 and 1921 several small private schools were conducted on ranches surrounding the town. A post office was established in 1895, and by 1896 the community had a general store and a population of 150. The first church, the Iglesia Catolica Mexicana, was organized in October 1899 and served by an itinerant priest. The First Baptist Church was organized in August 1909, and the First Methodist Church organized a mission in Hebbronville as part of the Alice mis-sion in December 1912. The Hebbronville Gin Company was established in 1912.

In 1913, Hebbronville became part of the newly estab-

James R. Hebbron

See HEBBRONVILLE, Page 12

In observance of the

Christmas holiday, the First

National Bank

of Hebbronville

will be closing on Monday,

December 24, 2012

at 12:00 p.m.

Drive Thru and Lobby!

Have a Safe and Wonderful

Holiday!

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 7

By Alfredo E. Cardenas

In 1876, Lázaro Peña was actively involved in acquiring land in Duval and Starr Counties. Some of the land was obtained by purchasing rights to public land originally granted by the state of Texas to E. R. Beatty, E. J. Seale and J. M. Forwood for improvements to the Neches River in Jasper County. The state awarded the land scrip to contrac-tors who made public improvements to state waterways.

It was in this land, comprising some 2,500 acres, that Peña established the frontier post called Peña Station. The land was in an established trade route from Mier to San Diego and on to Corpus Christi. It was roughly this route that the Texas-Mexican Railway followed from Corpus Christi, before forking off to Laredo instead of Ran-cho Davis, later known as Rio Grande City.

In 1881, Peña’s rancho became a station on the railroad and quickly began to flourish. On July 17, 1884, a post office was established with George F. Porter as the first postmaster.

Peña Station soon developed into an important livestock shipping point. In 1885, for example, 15,000 head of cattle were loaded and shipped from that there. W. H. Jennings started a trail drive to Cotulla with 2,100 head of cattle. That same year, Antonio Vizcaya shipped 50 mules to San Antonio and Peña sold 50 mares and mules to a Mr. Wills at $15 each.

The following year, Alejos Flores shipped 125 mares and potros to San

Antonio. Ramón Guerra shipped three cars with 50 potrillos to San Antonio. Dr. J. Grant shipped 25 cars with 400 head of beeves and two cars with 28 saddled horses to Gainesville. A. W. Earnest shipped 49 mares to San Anto-nio. Earnest Bros. sold 500 yearlings to man from Pearsall and Ysidro Vizcaya shipped 95 mules, potros and mares to San Antonio.

In 1887, 20 carloads of horse ship-ments were made within a week. Peña left for San Antonio with several car-loads of horse stock. Antonio Gutiérrez took three carloads.

Livestock had to be fed, and the settlement soon became a center for harvesting crops for the industry. D. and L. Pena had 4,000 acres of fenced pasture and also had machinery at work cutting, gathering and baling hay and expected 4,000 to 5,000 bales in the summer of 1888. A gristmill to grind up a large corn crop grown in the area was also built that year.

Expectations ran high that a cot-

ton gin would be built the ensuing year. E. Vizcaya purchased an ar-tesian well-drill-ing machine at a cost of $4,000 and committed himself to “bore un t i l he ge t s flowing water.”

W h i l e t h e railroad was the impetus for much of the activity, other transpor-tation opportu-nities presented themselves. J. W. Orr was considering establishing a fast freight business between Peña and Rio Grande City where there was no railroad. The Cor-pus Christi Caller reported “this port is full of prairie schooners loading for Rio Grande.” E. H. Caldwell came to town baring a bundle of orders from the Rio Grande merchants and large consign-ments of freight left for the river.

V. Veray & Co. of Benavides came to Peña Station and Realitos to buy wool. Harris, Murphy & Co. of Laredo, James Hebbron and D. and L. Peña were also buying wool in Peña Station and Los Angeles Station.

Two eating-houses served the town and passersby. A Mrs. Walsh owned the Railroad House on the south end of the track and a Mrs. Gutierrez owned the Fonda Nacional on the south side. Later, Mrs. Walsh sold her business to a Mr. Vela.

A. B. Farqueror owned and oper-ated a stagecoach line, before selling it to Ed Ray, who drove the line himself. John Hogan had been the “original stage driver.” The route of the stage line from Peña Station to Rio Grande City was changed in 1886 to the road pass-ing through the Sordo and Randado ranches. It also ran through the Earnest Ranch, San Antonio Viejo and Sauz. The stage line was not immune from crime. In 1886, authorities arrested Santos Salazar of Collins for robbing the Peña and Rio Grande City stage.

Crime of course was part and parcel of the frontier and Peña Station saw its share of lawbreakers. Being part of Du-val County it was also heavily involved in the politics of the day, requiring the stationing of U. S. troops in the town. These aspects of the frontier town of Peña Station will be reviewed in an upcoming issue.

Peña Station was once thriving community

The old Pena store several miles east of Hebbronville

An old map details the location of Pena Station

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year!

From the Jim Hogg Co Fair Assoc.

SEE YALL AT THE FAIR!

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 8

March 6th of this year marked the 176th an-niversary of Texas In-dependence, however it should have been the 199th anniversary, as facts tell us that the first major skirmish leading to Texas Independence occurred at the Battle of Medina on April 6, 1813. The individual who spearheaded this move-ment was Col. Ber-nardo Gutiérrez de Lara y Uribe, a Tejano, who first responded to Padre Miguel Hidalgo y Costil-la’s call for freedom from tyranny against the Span-ish Royalists proclaimed on September 16, 1810. The “ El Grito” resonated throughout the Texas of that time which was also part of the Spanish Em-pire, so much that the “ Cabildo de San Antonio de Béxar “, made up of Tejanos, issued a procla-mation supporting Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s call

Tejano patriots at the battle of the Alamo

Dr. Lino Garcia is an eighth generation Tejano with ancestral Spanish Land Grants on Texas soil since 1767. He holds the Chair of Professor Emeritus at UTPA and can be reached at: LGarcia@UTPA.Edu

See TEJANO, Page 11

for liberty. Tejanos were the first to initiate the framework and ideals that later on lead to the Battle of the Alamo of 1836, when the newcomers to Texas simply took up the struggle first started atthe Battle of Medina on April 6,1813. At this, the greatest battle fought on Texas soil, close to one thousand Tejanos and other volunteers perished

in their quest for freedom culminating in 1836.

Col. Bernardo Gutiér-rez de Lara y Uribe be-came the first President of the Republic of Texas , he wrote and signed the first Texas Declaration of Independence on April 6, 1813 and a week later signed the Texas Con-stitution, patterned after the U.S. Constitution, declaring Texas an inde-

pendent state. By then, Teja-

nos had already done much of the heavy lifting, sac-rificing and dying by the time Sam Houston and oth-er Texian patriots crossed over the Sabine River. So that essentially the

newcomers came into the struggle and took over a work in progress. However, up until a few years ago, this part of pre-1836 Texas History

had been completely ob-scured from the pages of Texas history. Thus, we must all recognize that pre-1836 Texas His-tory is a seamless part of the history of our state . Furthermore, the more all of us know about the Tejanos’ role, the more the general public will see and understand that the Spanish/Mexican roots

in this state run deep, covering many centuries of active participation in the building of Texas.

The siege of the Ala-mo (a Christian Mission built by Spanish Mis-sionaries to instruct the Indian population in and around San Antonio de Béxar ), lasted only a few crucial days ending on March 6, 1836 , the day Mexican General Antonio de Santa Ana en-tered the Alamo Mission. Meanwhile a convention was being held that lasted from March 1st. to 17th. , 1836 declaring Texas Independence and writ-ing a constitution , thus initiating the beginning of the second Declaration of Independence, the sec-ond Republic of Texas, and the second Texas Constitution.

However, this 1836 declaration did not save the men entrapped at the Alamo. These brave

defenders of the Alamo hailed from many parts of the world, represent-ing a multi – ethnic force, all gathered there for the common cause of free-dom.

Very few of the men were native Texans , as a great number came from such states as Kentucky and the Carolinas ,with some 32 of them coming from Tennessee, and from states such as Pennsylva-nia, Ohio, and New York also.

Europeans were also presented, as ten of the patriots hailed from Eng-land, and eleven were from Ireland, and of the thirty or more Europeans, some came from Ger-many, Denmark, Scotland and Wales.

Accounts differ re-garding the number of individuals at the Alamo in 1836. Up to 1920 the

The Jim Hogg County Fair Association and Jim Hogg County Vaquero Festival Association present

Jerry & The Ruf Nex for a Pre New Year’s Dance

Saturday, December 29, 2012Jim Hogg County Fair Pavilion

Dance from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.$10.00 per person

Tickets can be bought by any Fair or Vaquero Board memberCome and Celebrate with us!

NewYear’s Celebration

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 9

lished Jim Hogg County. An election that spring made that town the county seat by a unanimous vote of 176. The courthouse, school system, and Hebbronville State Bank were organized in 1913. A theatre was opened by Patricio Cruz in 1914 and the Viggo Hotel in 1915 by Viggo Kohler. In 1915 Hebbronville had an estimated population of 44, a bank, eight grocery stores, a drugstore, and thirteen cattle breeders.

The Hebbronville school district was organized in April 1921. In 1926, a newspaper, the Jim Hogg County Enterprise, was established by M. Luther Dale.

That same year, Scotus College, a Franciscan seminary, moved to Hebbronville from Mexico to es-cape persecution. It could accommodate up to twenty students preparing for the priesthood. The estimated population of Hebbronville in 1927 was 1,800.

The Hebbronville Story

It was early in 1913 that Mr. A.C. Jones, D.D. David, Reuben Holbein, Oscar Thompson, and Ralph McCambell went to Austin to petition the governor to create the new county of territory taken from Brooks and Duval counties, and In July of that same year the first county officials were duly elected.

The history of this locale, before and since is most interesting. It would be difficult to determine the exact date and location of the first settlement in this area, but long before the war between the states the present Jim Hogg County was the scene of extensive ranching.

Within our county are a number of old Spanish grants of land donated to individuals while Mexico still belonged to Spain. Some of these old grants still retain their Spanish names. Among them are El Ran-dado, Las Cuevitas, Agua Nueva, Las Vivoritas, Las Animas, San Antonio Viejo, El Baluarte, San Jabier, Las Norias de Santo Domingo, and El Sordo - the first Anglo-American owned ranch and Noriecitas, the only grant still in the possession of the original family heirs.

Prior to 1860, the chief livestock industry was sheep and goats with only a little horse raising. At this time, there was no demand for cattle and no outlet. Early settlers brought a few cattle with them, but only for meat and hides. Most were the old Longhorns which were able to survive the periods of drought and the scarcity of food. These cattle were left much to themselves and they increased rapidly, but

became wild and hard to handle.

The early settlers had their share o f c a t t l e s t e a l i n g . Men moved a r o u n d

the coun ty slaughtering cattle - branded and unbranded - and many herds were driven into Mexico by bandits.

With the advent of the Civil War, there came a demand for hides and tallow, and a little later there was a demand from the east for meat, so many people turned to cattle raising in earnest.

U n d e r the outlet of t h e “ C h i -solm Trai l” grea t herds were driven to Kansas to the railroads and gradually the ranchmen gave up sheep entirely for cattle and the Texas Long-horn became famous. Many of our early residents remember the cattle drives down the main street of Hebbronville. This practice continued for so many years that some of cur “not so old” residents fondly recall the sight. In 1883, the Texas-Mexican Railway built a narrow gauge line from Corpus Christi To Laredo and the real history of Hebbronville begins with that old Pena station, a small community just east of our present site.

When Francisco P. Pena refused to sell land for a townsite, the “Tex-Mex” made arrangements with James R. Hebbron for a new location for their depot. They loaded the old station on a flat car and moved it exactly 1 1/2 miles west. The people and the busi-ness moved with the depot.

Some of the people who were here at that time or came shortly were Santiago Gonzalez, G. Olson, Jose Angel Garza, Trinidad Hernandez, Oscar Thompson, C. W. Hellen Sr., Henry Edds, Narciso Pena, Henry Yeager, Dionicio Pena, Mrs. Pilar Pena

Originally published: ‘50th Anniversary Jim Hogg County’ sponsored by the Hebbronville Chamber of Commerce

Gang crew on Gang car

First two Buicks delivered to Hebbronville via rail. Owned by Henry Edds and R.R. Holbein.

See STORY, Page 12

HEBBRONVILLE - From Page 6

JIM HOGG COUNTY JUDGES

A.C. Jones Aug. 11, 1913 to Sep. 12, 1913

A.M. Brumfield Sept. 12, 1913 to Dec. 31, 1928W. A. Dannelly Jan. 1, 1929 to Dec. 31, 1940F.B. Guerra Jan. 1, 1941 to Oct. 26, 1956Aris Barrera Nov. 1, 1941 to Oct. 26, 1956Ray Holbein Sept. 1, 1961 to Dec. 31, 1962Dr. H.T. Martinez Jan. 1, 1963 to Dec. 31, 1978Romeo J. Vasquez Jan. 1, 1979 to Dec. 31, 1986Horacio S. Ramirez Jan. 1, 1987 to Dec. 31, 1998Agapito Molina Jan. 1, 1999 to Dec. 31, 2006Guadalupe Canales Jan. 1, 2007 to present

First Hebbronville School

SOURCE: 50TH Anniversary Jim Hogg County as published by the Hebbronville Chamber of Commerce.

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 10

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 11

number stood at 150, then to 183 in 1968, and finally grew to 189 today.

Six defenders were known to have survived , among them Brigido Guer-rero, who received a pension later on as a result of being a defender. Mexican officers who cremated the remains counted between 250 to 256, lead-ing historians to believe that many of them were San Antonio residents who merely sought refuge at this mission as Santa Ana’s Army advanced, or perhaps they were Mexican soldiers who had deserted, or perhaps Tejanos and newcomers farmer colonists living in Texas at that time.

Be that as it may, of the 189 or so individuals who perished at this battle, as many as eighty of them were docu-mented residents of Texas, and of this only eight were actually born in Texas, and they were all Tejanos: Juan Abam-illo, Juan A. Badillo, Carlos Espalier, Gregorio Esparza, Antonio Fuentes, Damacio Jimenez, Jose Toribio Lo-soya, and Andres Nava.

The following is a tribute to those brave Tejanos, all heroes of the Battle

of the Alamo of 1836, who perished alongside David Crockett, William Travis and others.

****

a.) Juan Abamillo: A native Tejano who volunteered to fight under the com-mand of Col. Juan N. Seguin.

b.) Juan Antonio Badillo: a native Tejano who also served under Col. Juan N. Seguin, and stayed on at the Alamo when Col. Seguin was called out to seek reinforcement among his Tejanos loyalist.

c.) Carlos Espalier: He was a na-tive Tejano and a protege of James Bowie, and was only seventeen years old when he perished at this battle.

d.) Jose Maria Esparza: Also known as Gregorio Esparza was born in San Antonio de Bexar. He married Maria Petra Olivas with whom he had several children. He also formed part of Col. Juan N. Seguin battalion of Tejanos, and when General Antonio de Santa Ana arrived in San Antonio, he was advised to take refuge at the Alamo along with his wife, three sons and a

baby daughter, and could have left but decided to stay and perished along the others tending a cannon during the siege, but his family survived the siege. His brother Francisco Esparza recovered his body, and was given a proper Christian burial, a respect not given to most other defenders.

e.) Antonio Fuentes: He was born in San Antonio de Bexar, and although he had a fallen out with Col. Juan N. Seguin, he stayed on and died along-side the others.

f.) Damacio Jimenez: A native Tejano who also formed part of Col. Juan N. Seguin battalion.

g.) Jose Toribio Losoya: He was born in the Alamo “ barrio” to Ventura Losoya and Concepcion de los Angeles Charlé. He deserted the Mexican Army to join Col. Juan N. Seguin’s Battalion of Tejanos. He perished at this battle, but his wife and three children who sought refuge at the Alamo’s chapel, along with other women and some slaves, survived the siege.

h.) Andres Nava: A native Tejano who had enlisted for only six months

service under the command of Col. Juan N. Seguin. He died while de-fending the Alamo alongside the other Texas patriots.

****

It is interesting to note that the Tejanos who perished at the Alamo were only a small representation of the thousand other Tejanos who also fought for freedom alongside the Tex-ians ( not of Hispanic origin).

Tejano ranchers and their families prominently provided ammunition, food, shelter, and horses to the freedom fighters during this tumultuous times in Texas history.

During the beginning of the 20th century a revisionist approach toward depicting the Battle of the Alamo - 1836 began portraying a different scenario, elevating certain individuals to an almost super human status, and almost completely erasing the valuable and significant role the Tejanos played during this period in Texas history.

However, during the 21st century the Tejano Story will be told!

Hebbronville’s Little League All-Star Team circa 1963

Pictured (front row, left to right) Primitivo Gonzalez Jr., Humaldo Vasquez, Pablo Munoz Jr., Felix Gutierrez, Henry Ysaquirre Jr., Mario Guerrero, Juan Al-varo Soliz, Benny Morales Benavides - bat boy - and (left to right, back row) Roy Cantu, Juan Perez, Hector Ramirez, Mar-celo Hinojosa Jr., Perry Vaughn, Rodolfo Gutierrez, Joe Gonzalez - Manager.

TEJANO - From Page 8

SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY PAGE 12

HEBBRONVILLE - From Page 9

de Gutierrez, W. W. Jones, Mrs. Josefa Mezza, Ralph McCa-mpbell, D. D. Davdi, Ed Corkill, F.B. Guerra and his brother Rosendo, Policarpio Garza and Ascencion Martinez. All have descendants still in our midst.

James R. Hebbron was a native of England who lived most of his life in California. He acquired many acres of land in this area and sent his son Arthur to take charge of his ranch. It was on one of his visits to the ranch that the new townsite was selected and Mr. Hebbron wel-comed the station and settlers to his property. The townsite consisted of 20 blocks, each con-taining 12 lots. This are was north of the “Tex-Mex” depot, extended east to the Pena residence and west to where the Rambler Motor Co. now stands. Lots on main street sold for $40.00, on the other streets the lots decreased in value

as the distance from the depot increased $20.00, $10.00, $5.00 and so on, and outside the town an acre could be had for 35 cents.

From 1892 to 1894 this are experienced a terrible drought. Cat-tle and horses died by the thousands; some ranchmen lost their en-tire herds. As a result, ranches passed into new ownerships, and a new era of the cattle industry followed.

The old Longhorn started on his way out to make room for bet-ter breeds, for by now there was a growing de-mand for improved beef. Much cross breeding was done and the results were striking, but finally, most of the cattlemen turned to Herefords and Brahmas.

Hebbronville was becoming as one of the most progressive towns in the area, and much credit goes to the rail road. Coal and oil were not available then, but mesquite was plentiful

all along the road and it burned just as good and supplied enough steam to make the engines roll. Except for the horse and ox cart, the railroad was the only means of out-side communication, and today the rail road with its modern equipment is fulfilling the dreams of those men who saw the steel highway as a neces-sary part of our growth.

In 1906 a telegraph tool line was erected and Hebbronville could now reach the outside cattle markets for sure. We soon became the largest shipping point for live-stock in the United State and we held this enviable position for many years.

The first merchants in Hebbronville were Narciso Pena, Severo Pena and F. B. Guerra. In 1908 S. E Garcia started a mercantile business as the New York Store.

Mr. Nicoles Bena-vides was the first post master and the post office occupied a small corner of the Pena store.

For several years beginning about 1912 cotton was grown ex-tensively in this area and three gins were kept busy all season long. In recent years other crops have taken over. Many peanuts were produced in and around Hebbron-ville and still later it was sweet potatoes and watermelons.

In 1913 the county was formed; the court-house was built; our school system was es-tablished, and the First National Bank was or-ganized. At that time, the bank was capital-ized for $25,000 and was located in the brick building across the rail-road tracks where Mr. and Mrs. Waters Corkill resided. The capital and surplus have since risen attesting to the profitable progress of the commu-nity. Presently, the bank is located in a lovely modern building.

By now, new blood had arrived in our midst and among the civic

minded were the Dannel-leys, Gomez, Hinnants, Rogers, Kohlers, Hol-beins, Guilfords, Stro-mans, Stetsons, Briscoes, Ramirezes and many others.

In 1914 the movies came to town, silent to be sure, but the best pictures of the day were shown in the theater owned by Mr. Patricio Cruz. Twice his movie houses were destroyed, by the storm of 1919, and by fire in 1923, but the Casino Theatre which he and his partner built in 1925 still stands.

How fondly our early residents remember the fiestas in September, the music, the promenades, at the plaza.

In 1915 the Viggo Hotel appeared. Mr. C.F. Luque built the center and north portions of the three story edifice for Mr. Viggo Kohler and its beauty and hospitality were known throughout the area. Later Mr. Jo-seph Gruy arrived and he added the south wind for

Mr. Kohler.The first franchise

granted by the commis-sioner’s court was for the Telephone Exchange and the first telephone company was in the story of S.E. Garcia. In 1920 the first electric power plant was set up. In 1924 the Border Gas Company came in.

In 1935 a water sys-tem was begun.

In 1924 oil was dis-covered in our county and the black gold has meant much to economic growth.

Hebbronville is also proud of its local paper, the Enterprise, estab-lished in 1926; of its Volunteer Fire Depart-ment organized in 1931; its county library, which was begun in 1936, of its Chamber of Commerce, organized in 1958, and its hospital opened in 1961.

*****Originally published

in the “30th Anniversary Jim Hogg County.”

Meeting the train Old saloon