Soy de Duval

POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   NOVEMBER 9, 2015 The start of 1887 in Realitos saw the continuation of a building boom. The town was seen as growing into an important rail station. Among the businesses in town were three stores, three hotels and restaurants; two meat markets; and two barber shops, where one could get hair powdered “ala mode Americano.” F. Cadena and company of Concepcion was also mulling over moving their general merchandise store to Realitos and would do so by year’s end. Ed Corkill, who the newspaper referred to as “the Hidalgo of the Mexicans,” directed the establishment of a public well. Many Realitos residents gave money and volunteered labor for the project. Water was found at 60 feet. The volunteers also cut and cleared all stumps and brush out of city limits. Also, completed was a dancing pavilion. In 1888, Company D of the Texas Rangers was stationed in Realitos. Not all was going well, however; the public school had to be closed due to a lack of ...

POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   NOVEMBER 1, 2015 In early February 1908, the Catholic Church built in 1867 by Father Claude Jaillet on the east side of the main plaza in San Diego was torn down and moved to the north plaza where it was made ready within days for the celebration of Mass. The move became necessary because parishioners planned to build a new church at the old site. Contractors hoped to complete the new improvements within six months. On Sunday, June 1, 2008, parishioners at St. Francis de Paula celebrated 100 years of memories in this house of worship. Father Benito Retortillo and parishioners marked the occasion with Mass at 11 a.m. and a luncheon in the parish hall immediately following Mass. Father Pedro Bard built the present church at a cost of $15,000 with the generous donation of the estate of Anna Collins, widow of Norman Collins who was the first state senator elected from Duval County. The estate, with properties in both Duval and Nueces counties, w...

POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   OCTOBER 12, 2015 In the first year of the twentieth century, two new churches were planned for San Diego. Episcopalians broke ground for a $4,000 church that would honor the memory of Professor and Mrs. Henry Croft. The Methodists also bought a lot close to courthouse to build a church of stone. On the economic front, Vicente Salazar who operated a business in Concepcion was planning to move his family to San Diego and bought the Rosales store to move his business. Out in the countryside, meanwhile, the group of Chittim, Parr, and Driscoll bought the 38,000-acre Stillman Ranch, formerly the Gray Ranch, along with the livestock. C. M. Robinson continued to manage it. In the social scene, San Diego public school principal Huffors organized a literary and debating society. The Pastime Club put on a good show in Laredo and won accolades from the Laredo Daily Times, the Alice Reporter, and Laredo Times. Club members traveled to Corpus Christi b...

POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   OCTOBER 5, 2015 At the start of the twentieth century, Duval County had a population of 8,483. The county seat of San Diego had a population of 2,000. The census is probably quite accurate since the census supervisor for 1900 was longtime resident and political leader James O. Luby who was intimately familiar with the county and its people. Luby and his wife had four children, John M., James, Mrs. Adelaide Whitman, and Mrs. Kate L. Shaeffer. The Lubys owned homes in San Diego and San Antonio. The century opened with an acting troupe, the Pastime Club, unveiling the comedy Above the Clouds in San Diego. The talented group of A. D. Smith, W. W. McCampbell, D. C. Wells, Bernard Adams, Fred Gunter, Carrie and Dot Morgan and Ethel Sutherland took the show on the road and performed before a crowded house in Laredo. The club elected officers with McCampbell as president; Josie Lewis, vice-president; Hayes Dix, secretary; W. M. van Norte, treasurer;...