Uvalde is a legendary "Wild West" town at
the southwest corner of our Hill Country
map. Known mostly for its outlaws during the
early years, Uvalde produced several
much-more-positive role models during the
20th century.
The Uvalde area's recorded history began
largely with the establishment of San
Antonio in 1718; from that time on, the
region was crossed frequently by Spanish
soldiers, traders, hunters and prospectors.
A mission (Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria)
was established in 1762, about thirty miles
northwest of present-day Uvalde; while it
lasted only about five years before it was
abandoned due to attacks by Comanches,
Governor Juan de Ugalde defeated an army of
Apaches near the site of modern-day Utopia
(northeast of Uvalde) in 1790. The Sabinal
Canyon was then known as the Canon de Ugalde.
In 1849 (after Texas had joined the United
States), a trail through the area to El Paso
was marked by famous scout Jose Policarpo
"Polly" Rodriguez, and Fort Inge was built a
mile south of the current city center to
protect settlers from Indian attacks.
One of the very few settlers then living
west of Castroville (founded in 1844, a few
miles west of San Antonio) was a rugged
veteran of the Mexican War named Edward
Dixon Westfall. He had built a cabin on the
banks of the Leona River, and lived there
with only his dogs for company; when the
fort was built, he hired on as a scout for
the U.S. Army. In 1853, a 23-year-old man
named Reading W. Black purchased 4,650 acres
(at 50 cents an acre) and built himself a
home about a mile north of the fort. In
1855, he hired a surveyor from San Antonio
to lay out an impressive city (which he
first called Encina) on his piece of the
wild, wild west.
The dubious surveyor, C.A. Thielpape,
followed Black's directions and surveyed
four plazas and 100-foot-wide streets at the
"city center." A few more settlers arrived,
and soon there was a store, a blacksmith
shop and a grist mill. In 1856, a new county
was formed; the town's name was changed to
Uvalde (a corruption of Ugalde, the name of
the heroic governor from the previous
century) and it became the county seat of
the new Uvalde County. A post office opened
in 1857.
For the next three decades, Uvalde was one
of the wildest and most lawless of all the
western towns. Comanche attacks killed many
of the early settlers, and the surrounding
area became a haven for outlaws.
Intermittent battles with Mexico added to
the dangers, and the abandonment of Fort
Inge during the Civil War led to a
redoubling of Comanche raids.
A Confederate soldier named W.W. Hartsell
described a five-day march from San Antonio
to Uvalde in 1861, and remarked that Uvalde
was "a rather desolate-looking place. A
courthouse, blacksmith shop, a grocery store
and half a dozen dwellings constitute the
county seat." (The gristmill was a short
distance upstream.)
Uvalde County voters had opposed secession
by a 76-16 margin, and bitterness between
Union and Confederate sympathizers continued
long after the war was over. Reading Black,
the town's founder and a representative in
the Texas legislature, was assassinated in
1867. The tax assessor and collector were
protected by armed guards, and the county
was without a sheriff for two years; the
acting sheriff in 1873 was none other than
the murderous outlaw, King Fisher. Louis
L'Amour chose Uvalde for the opening scene
in his novel, Sackett, where Tell Sackett
shoots a card shark some time shortly after
the Civil War, and has to leave town.
Uvalde acquired a link with the civilized
world in 1881, when the Galveston,
Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway came
through, and the town began a period of
rapid growth. By 1888, the city of Uvalde
was incorporated, and by 1890, the census
counted 2,000 inhabitants. That was the year
that a young lawyer named John Nance Garner
arrived in Uvalde; he ran for the office of
county judge in 1893 against a rancher's
daughter named Mariette Rheiner. The
political opponents fell in love, and were
married in 1895!
The next 30 years were good for Garner and
for Uvalde. Garner was elected to the U.S.
Congress in 1903 and worked his way up to
Speaker of the House in 1931; he was
considered as a leading candidate for
president in 1932, but supported Franklin D.
Roosevelt and became one of the chief
architects of the New Deal as Roosevelt's
vice-president. In the meantime, Uvalde grew
into a prosperous regional center. Railroads
were built from Uvalde to Crystal City (in
1911) and to Camp Wood (in 1921); by 1940,
the population was over 5,000, and Uvalde
had 200 businesses, plus multiple churches,
beautiful neighborhoods, large hotels, an
excellent school system, a beautiful opera
house and a large, modern fairground which
included a race track and stables. Tourism
had become an important industry, and Garner
State Park opened 26 miles north of Uvalde
in 1941, the same year that Garner Army Air
Field opened in Uvalde.
Uvalde still had its rough edges, even as it
grew and prospered. A young man named Willis
Newton robbed a train in Uvalde in 1914, on
his way to becoming the leader of the
legendary "Newton Boys" bank robber gang. He
and his younger brother, Joe, retired to
Uvalde in the 1940s. But Uvalde by then was
an established, respectable town, and the
Newtons' notoriety only added to its
prestige. the economy was mostly
agricultural; Uvalde produced mohair,
pecans, honey and many other crops. There
were also several mines and a fish hatchery
in Uvalde County. Southwest Texas Junior
College was established in Uvalde in 1946.
Uvalde continued to grow through the second
half of the 20th century, and one of those
who helped lead that growth was Dolph
Briscoe, a Uvalde High School valedictorian
who went on to become governor of Texas from
1973 to 1979. Governor Briscoe was a hugely
successful rancher and businessman who
became the largest individual landowner in
the state of Texas and who also served as
chairman of the board for the First state
Bank of Uvalde. His philanthropic work
included the renovation of Uvalde's Grand
Opera House, and many other local projects.
Two other celebrities who were born in
Uvalde are the late singer/actress Dale
Evans and the current movie actor Matthew
McConaughey, who played the part of Willis
Newton in the 1998 movie, "The Newton Boys."
Uvalde today is a vibrant, prosperous
community of more than 15,000 residents.
With a great variety of shopping, dining and
lodging options, plus a number of museums
and recreational opportunities, Uvalde makes
a great "home base" for numerous day trips
in each direction. Just to the north and
west are some of the most scenic spots in
Texas, including Garner State Park, Lost
Maples State Natural Area, Kickapoo Caverns
State Natural Area and a number of sparkling
rivers and quaint Hill Country towns. To the
south and west are the National Fish
Hatchery, Cook's Slough Sanctuary and Nature
Park, Fort Inge, Fort Clark and John Wayne's
Alamo Village at Brackettville. All around
Uvalde are wonderful places for hunting,
horseback riding, bird watching, tubing, or
just enjoying the spectacular scenery.
One of the most unique attractions in Uvalde
is the Sahawe Indian Outdoor Theater, home
of the amazing Boy Scout and Girl Scout
group known as the Sahawe Indian Dancers.
These youngsters have become Uvalde's
favorite goodwill ambassadors, as they take
their authentically detailed costumes and
choreographed dances all around Texas in a
60-year tradition of excellence. Other
highlights are the Briscoe Art & Antique
Collection, the Aviation Museum at Garner
field, the Janey Slaughter Briscoe Grand
Opera House, the John Nance Garner Museum
and the 18-hole Uvalde Memorial Golf Course.
For more information, visit the Uvalde
Chamber of Commerce at www.visituvalde.com.
Some of the most successful (and strangely likeable) criminals in U.S. history called the Texas Hill Country home.
The headline screamed “Yeggs Rob Hondo Banks,” (The dictionary defines “yegg” as: “a thief, especially a burglar or safe-cracker.”) and the Hondo Anvil Herald added, “One of the Most Daring Robberies Ever Staged in Texas Occurred Here Sunday Morning.”
Although it was early in their careers, the Newton brothers (Jess, Willis, Doc and Joe) were already very good at their chosen profession. The Anvil Herald account noted that the robbers were “experts in explosives,” having blown the door off the State Bank vault with TNT and at the same time having worked the combination of the safe in the First National Bank, just 200 feet away.
Between midnight and daybreak (according to the newspaper), all the telephone lines in town were [read more]
A great way to enjoy a weekend r
The History of the Bed And Breakfasts
Texas Hill Country
A great way to enjoy a weekend relaxing at an
interesting location is to book a unique Bed and Breakfast. B&B's as
they are commonly referred to, have a long and interesting history.
While the B&B has been around for ages, the B&B that we are familiar
with now can be tracked back over 100 years.
The usual arrangement for a B&B is a home in which
there are rooms that can accommodate between 2 and 12 guests,
normally 1 to 6 rooms. Early B&B's generally targeted travelers that
were passing through. Areas that were popular for B&B's were
mountain regions of the Northwest such as California and Colorado,
as well as other regions, specifically the New England States.
Most of the travelers that frequented B&B's in the
1800's were pioneers, miners, or professionals traveling from one
area to another. Many B&B's offered an accommodation for the night
along with a breakfast in the morning which hungry travelers took
advantage of before starting on the next leg of their journey.
Before the 1900's, most of these B&B's were private residences that
catered to specific types of people. As an example, a doctor or
lawyer would offer accommodation for other professionals, and a
middle class home owners offered accommodations for cowboys, miners,
pioneers, etc.
As more hotels, inns and lodges were built in the
1900's, B&B's became an affordable accommodation for people passing
through small towns or in areas that weren't heavily developed.
Currently, Texas Hill Country B&B's offer warm and
cozy alternatives to the corporate hotel or motel. Many Texas Hill
Country B&B's take pride on being privately owned and operated, as
well as offering quaint and cozy homes in locations that offer
historical, leisure or small town attractions.
If you're planning to visit the hill country you
can find a lot of B&Bs by searching your perfect accommodation on by
searching our website, Texas Hill Country, for Bed and Breakfasts,
Guest Houses and Country Inns.
Charley Eckhardt's Texas
Hellagain Hill - How Elgin Got I
Hellagain Hill - How Elgin Got Its Name
In Elgin they'll tell you the town was named for a Mister
Elgin... If you ask the members of the Shadetree Historical
Society, they'll give you a version of Elgin's naming that has
nothing to do with a Mr. Elgin. They'll tell you the original
name of the place was Helgin--derived from 'Hell again.'...
The Long Shot
If you know Texas history, you know the story. At the second
battle of Adobe Walls buffalo shooter Billy Dixon used his
Sharps rifle to shoot a Comanche chief off his horse at about
1000 yards. With the chief dead, especially at such extreme
range, the Comanches called it quits and left.
The L-O-N-G Roads of Texas: Texas-State-Highway-16
Texas' state highways are some of the most interesting ways to
travel. They pass through--not go around--interesting communities
of every sort. The towns are both beautiful--sometimes (and
sometimes not so beautiful)--and often historically interesting.
The two longest state highways in Texas are Highway 16 and
Highway 6. Both cut across scenic and historically significant
parts of the state...
This table shows the number of searches
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For more information contact: Scott O'Neill 830-928-3926
Mitchel Moorehead 830-928-3927
Uvalde, Texas Texas Hill Country Guide - Uvalde Resources and
Information including Ranches, Bed & Breakfasts, Homes, Cabins, Vacations and
more
When searches are made for your business or
service, finding your website can be
difficult unless they know your specific name
or service. Most often, a general, natural,
or organic search phrase is used. These common
search phrases are used when seeking something
in or around the uvalde Hill Country. Could your business be found on the
first, or even second page for these
searches? We are being found on many of
these searches, and we are working on being
the top result for all these searches and
more. Click to the next page to see how many
people search for these phrases every month
on Google alone, not to mention Bing and
Yahoo.
uvalde Hill Country - Hill Country of TX
Resources and Information including Hill
Country Ranches, Bed & Breakfasts, Homes,
Cabins, Vacations and more.
For more information contact: Scott O'Neill 830-928-3926
Mitchell Moorhead 830-928-3927
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