Soy de Duval

Con artists were common in the frontier. In 1885, an Anglo con artist passed himself off as half Mexican by the name of Federico Milmo. He bought some mules in San Diego without paying, left one at the Lara ranch between Collins and San Diego, and went into Collins and told the Sheriff someone stole his mules at Piedras Pintas. Milmo took the train to Corpus Christi. The next week, Milmo found himself in jail in San Diego where he persuaded a deputy to let him out so he could go visit a woman friend. Milmo of course disappeared in the wind. The sheriff heard he was in Concepcion and went after him. Authorities believed Milmo was the same con artist who hoodwinked Lazaro Peña of Peña Station two years before. Another con artist by the name of MacManus deceived some people in San Diego and escaped to Eagle Pass where he continued practicing his trade. Reports from Eagle Pass had him escaping from there as well. Not everyone was a con artist, some entrepreneurs sought to advance themselv...

While Duval County residents were abuzz with the rainmaking experiment in late 1891, a reporter for the New York Sun was more impressed with the women in Duval County. “At the risk of offending the fair and fashionable ladies of Gotham City, there crowded into a small barn-like theater or teatro of the town [San Diego] last night were more pretty women than any theater in New York ever held at one time,” wrote the Sun’s N. A. Jennings. “Their hair,” Jennings continued, “was brushed smoothly back over their shapely heads, a la Mexicana, with here and there a Texas Lilly gleaning like a star. In their tresses the señoritas had the wonderful pure Madonna-like beauty which northern eyes never see save in pictures of Santa Maria painted by old masters. Murillo probably used their great great-grandmothers for his creations of the Holy Mother. . .” That was quite a compliment coming from a northerner. New York was not the only city with a newspaper named the Sun . San Diego too had a newspa...

On Sept. 21, 1899 the Sociedad Mutualista Hijos de Hidalgo in Benavides celebrated Diez y Seis de Septiembre and folks came in from all the surrounding communities and ranches to join the festivities. The fraternal organization, organized the previous year, had 70 members with Jose Elizondo serving as president and Loreto Arguijo as secretary. It was created to serve the Mexican American population and had a good effect. Doors to the mutualista hall were opened to the public and they were greeted by pictures of Washington and Hidalgo and U. S. and Mexican flags. The outside of the hall was adorned with banisters with red, white, and green, and red, white, and blue ribbons. Families of members enjoyed a free dance. Over in San Diego, Tax Assessor Collector Arturo Garcia built a rock house, considered one of the nicest homes in town. Sam Lewis built cottages for M. D. Cohn and Mrs. C. Tibilier. Croft & Co. fenced off four lots and rumors were going around town that they would build...

Claude Tibilier, one of San Diego’s most prominent citizens, died on March 6, 1899 after becoming paralyzed following several days of dengue fever. He was buried the following day with Father J. P. Bard officiating over a Catholic funeral. Serving as pall bearers were Paul Bears, W. W. Meek, C. H. Hufford, P. Eznal, Frank Feuille, S. H. Woods, and B. Miret. The Corpus Christi Caller reported the funeral was one of “largest seen in San Diego”. The funeral procession left the Tibilier home for St. Francis de Paula Catholic Church and from the church proceeded to the San Diego Cemetery. Tibilier was survived by a wife, eight children, a brother, and several sisters. He was a member of the fraternal organizations the Knights of Honor, the Knights of Pythias, and the Woodmen of the World. He believed in “Republicanism of the heart and Democracy of the fireside”. Two months later, Tibilier’s widow was building a $1,200 home. M. D. Cohn was also building a $1,500 residence, showing Sa...

As the closing year of the nineteenth century opened, the San Diego Sun reported on the social life in the “City in the Woods”. Mrs. A. Rosales hosted a New Year’s Eve dance at the family home. Miss Croft meanwhile hosted a party for young people at the Miret Hotel with a large turnout. The Woodmen of the World invited ladies in the community to put on a program. The organization’s hall was full to capacity the day of the event. Hays Dix and his sister Mag Sutherland performed; Olgy Tyler presented a recitation; and Terrel and Callie Smith “brought down the house” with a duet. The quartet of Mrs. Sutherland, Dix, Dr. J. S. Strickland and Deputy Sheriff Stockwell were the highlight of the evening’s entertainment. Woodmen members Coyner, Tyler, Tibilier, Vannort and Sutherland debated the subject of “Art and Nature”. David Craven Jr. read a composition. The joy at the Rosales home soon dissipated as news came that someone had broken into their general merchandise stor...