This Week in Duval County History, September 23 — 29
POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM SEPTEMBER 23, 2019
September 23
Federal Marshall named for Duval County
The Galveston News reported that J.J. Sparrow was appointed deputy U.S. Marshall for Duval County. He was stationed in San Diego. New deputies were named in addition to regular deputies, brought about by a need for a stronger law enforcement surveillance needed due to Mexican outbreak and Las Vacas several months earlier.
Brownsville Herald, September 23, 1908
September 24
Mexican land grants made in Duval County
A year after Texas won its independence, Mexico was still making grants in Duval County. On September 24, 1836, Santos Flores was placed in possession of Agua Poquita grant by the State of Tamaulipas. The grant was well known to many persons and pointed out to surveyor by several aged citizens and by adjoining landowners. Flores had been in possession since 1831 except when through attacks and incursions by wild Indians they were forced to a temporary abandonment for protection of their lives. It was located on Agua Poquita Creek, a branch of Los Olmos, about 65 miles west southwest of Corpus Christi. The road to Laredo crisscrossed its southern part. The road from Mier to San Diego also crossed at the southeast tip of the grant. The two roads intersected at the Rancho La Felicidad.
On the same day, Tamaulipas approved the San Andres grant to Andres Garcia. It included 5 leagues, 5,099,300 square varas. It was situated on the Agua Poquita Creek, a branch of the Olmos Creek. It was also about 65 miles of Corpus Christi or about 19 miles west of San Diego. The road to San Diego traversed the grant from southwest to northeast and the road to Laredo from east to west. The two roads intersected at Los Indios Ranch on the mid-western side of the grant. The Agua Poquita nicked the grant at its southernmost section. The Anacuas Creek nicked it at the northeast end.
Texas General Land Office
September 25
Hearing held to enjoin county officials
A federal grand jury was rumored to be considering an investigation of politics in Duval County. A hearing was held at Alice, Sept. 25, before Judge Voll M. Taylor. C.M. Dubose and other property owners seeking a permanent injunction against County Judge G.A. Parr, Sheriff and Tax Collector A.W. Tobin, and four commissioners to stop payment of work on the courthouse.
A proposal to issue bonds for a new courthouse to replace one that burned nearly two years ago was injoined. The county was building a courthouse with General Revenue warrants and property owners sought to stop them.
Corpus Christi Caller, September 20, 1901
September 26
Promoting a revolution in Mexico “was a dream of madmen, of bums, and of people without jobs”
On September 26, 1891, El Correo de Laredo reprinted an article from El Eco Liberal, a newspaper published in San Diego a few miles from Catarino Garza’s camp at Palito Blanco, which argued that the idea of promoting a revolution in Mexico “was a dream of madmen, of bums, and of people without jobs.” Its conservative message could not have been clearer; “the true revolution is work…Long Live Work! Death to the Revolution.”
Remembering Catarino Garza’s 1891 Revolution: Aborted Border Insurrection, p. 262
September 27
Deputies go to Brownsville to retrieve prisoners
Duval County Deputy Nicolas Benavides, along with four others, went to Brownsville to arrest Rafael Pizano, charged with horse stealing, and Apolinar Alvarado for embezzlement. The two had been housed in the Cameron County jail for several months. Pizano had been wounded by Rangers two months earlier near Pena. He was believed to be riding with Catarino Garza followers.
The Daily Herald (Brownsville), September 27, 1892
September 28
Rainmaking comes to San Diego
On September 28, 1891, rainmakers came to San Diego… which was selected because of railroad facilities and because of extremely dry weather experienced for several years. The party located a site about one and one-half miles northeast of the railroad station and called it Camp Edward Powers. It was a time of severe drought. Thousands of cattle were dying from hunger and thirst. Some ranchmen in Duval County heard that Army men were firing explosives into the clouds at Midland and El Paso. They hauled an old canon from the King Ranch. With some Army help, they set-up their equipment on the Collins Ranch. They filled small balls with powder and soaked them in nitroglycerin. A meteorologist, John Ellis of Oberlin College, went aloft in a captive balloon to check the clouds. After days of waiting dark clouds filled the sky. They sent up balloons filled with sulfuric acid gas then exploded them with the canon. One blast came so close to the camp that it blew down the soldiers’ tents. By nightfall, rain began to soak the parched grass.
N.A. Jennings, reporting the rainmaking experiment for the New York Sun, wrote “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 last night more pretty women than any theater in New York ever held at one time…their hair 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 senoritas 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…”
Rainmakers, p. 105; Rawhide Texas, p. 14; Texas Seaport, p. 68
September 29
Superhighway envisioned
At a conference of good road enthusiasts of Webb county, plans were mapped out for building a 500-mile highway, forming a triangular loop connecting San Antonio, Laredo, and Corpus Christi. A good road had already been built from Alice to San Diego to the Duval County line covering 45 miles, and the remaining distance in the direction of Corpus Christi could be easily covered as the county is level all the way. Efforts would be undertaken to arouse interest in the project among the citizens and the commissioners of Duval County.
The Tribune. (Stephenville, Tex.), September 29, 1911
4 COMMENTSON "THIS WEEK IN DUVAL COUNTY HISTORY, SEPTEMBER 23 — 29"
Clementina Casas Charles (Pederson) | September 23, 2019 at 12:19 pm | Reply
You print such interesting stories. As having been born in San Diego, Duval County, I enjoy the stories “of yesteryear”. Thank youcardenas.ae@gmail.com | September 29, 2019 at 8:01 am | Reply
You are welcome, Clementina. Glad you enjoy them.Stella Hernandez | September 23, 2019 at 8:58 am | Reply
Thank you for posting your blog. I enjoy reading short story accounts. I especially enjoyed reading the Rainmakers – pretty awesome what they did considering the time-period.
Thank you. Glad you are enjoying the blog. Tell your friends and be sure to subscribe so you can be among the first to receive my posts.
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