HISTORY
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 8
JULY 31, 2013
4065) 5&9"4
A PUBLICATION
OF THE
Celebrating the
rich culture and history of South Texas!
JIM HOGG COUNTY ENTERPRISE
3FNFNCFSJOH )FCCSPOWJMMF 8IFO Special Edition - Volume 2
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
STH VOL. 1 NO. 8 PUBLISHER Poncho Hernandez Jr. enterprise78361@aol.com
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JULY 31, 2013
On The Cover Friends (Left to right) Alvaro Herrera, Genaro Perez, Marianela Ramos, Robert Soliz, Linda Jo Soliz, Nanette Forbes, Cathy Guerra, Jerry Martin, Maria Elena Sanchez, Charlotte Hellen, Letty Ramirez, Lacho Ramirez, David Almaraz and (kneeling, left to right) Rudy Gutierrez, Jose Ramos, Margo Ramirez and (unidentified gentleman).
FRONT PAGE DESIGN BY JULISSA HERNANDEZ
DR. THOMAS STETSON - STORY PAGE 3 If you are interested in receiving South Texas History Magazine contact us at 361-460-9493 or email us at enterprise78361@aol.com. You can also fax your requests to 361-256-2015. To submit articles and/or photographs for publication, please send to: sthistory@aol.com or by mail to The Enterpise, P.O. Box 759, Hebbronville, Texas 78361.
South Texas History Supplement to The Enterprise Wednesday, July 31, 2013 Vol. 1, No 8 SUPPLEMENT TO THE JIM HOGG COUNTY ENTERPRISE 304 E. Galbraith, Hebbronville, Texas 78361 Copyright 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/Publisher 361-460-9493 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.com Social Media: facebook. com/enterprisenews PHONE: 361-460-9493 FAX: 361-256-2015
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From the Editor: Beginning in August, South Texas History goes area wide. This means readers throughout the area and in selected South Texas communities will have the ability to join us in discovering our rich and cultural history. This also equates to a new potential audience for our advertisers. Copyright Š South Texas History
NEED HELP! ........ I am looking for information on my great-grandfather, Cresenciano Trejo, birthyear 1882, plus or minus one year. He is the son of Margarito Trejo, birthyear 1836, 1837, or 1838, and Eufemia Martinez Trejo, birthyear 1850, 1851 or 1852. Siblings are Calixto, Valentin, Maria, and Martina. Reply to annatmartinez@yahoo.com or to South Texas History at sthistory@aol. com. Thank you. Anna Adela Trejo Martinez
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
JULY 31, 2013
Remembering when doctors still made house calls T
By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
here was an old TV show called “Marcus Welby, M.D.” It was about a doctor, a white haired, distinguished looking gentleman who went to homes armed only with a black medical bag and treated his patients right there in their living rooms. Sounds like a TV fantasy, right? But strange as it sounds, that was what doctors used to do; come to your house and make you well. A trip to the doctor’s office was reserved for the truly ill or injured. Even babies were born at home. Of course, the first doctors in town got around by horse and buggy. One of the first local doctors, Tom Stetson, was ferried around town by my husband’s grandfather, Francisco Sr., who also served as the doctor’s interpreter. Many doctors have served the citizens of Hebbronville since then, but the more memorable ones made Hebbronville their home as well. Dr. Manuel Barrera Guerra had a long-standing
office on Galbraith Street. It was there that he and his nurse Ada Saldana, tended to locals for almost 50 years. He had the first x-ray machine in town and was well known as an excellent diagnostician, back in the day when a diagnosis was made by instinct and verified with blood-work. Another life-long resident of Hebbronville was Dr. F.C. Glendenning. Dr. Glendenning came to Hebbronville in 1954 and in the early 60’s opened a small hospital at the remodeled Royal Café on South Smith Street. This hospital offered the full spectrum of care, including full surgery, emergency medical care, in-patient care for the sick as well as the daily medical needs of a thriving community. He even delivered babies. Over 3,000 babies were delivered by Dr. Glendenning right here in town. The hospital, run by Dr. Glendenning and his wife Edna, a nurse, closed and reopened as a clinic and continued in operation until his death in 2007 at the age of 82. Mrs. Glendenning, 88, cur-
rently lives with her daughter in New Braunfels. Hebbronville has produced many fine doctors, but only a few have come back home to practice medicine. Hebbronville native Dr. Jose Gutierrez tends to the health of the citizens of Hebbronville now. Dr. Joe, as he is affectionately known, came to Hebbronville to practice medicine in the late 70’s and worked out of his office behind the Viggo Hotel. Shortly after settling here, he opened his office on Smith Street. Since then, he worked with Community Action and is currently at the Gateway Clinic on the Fal. Highway. Unfortu-
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nately, Dr. Joe is nearing retirement and no doctors have come to take his place and the drive to doctors’ offices in Laredo and Alice are an hour away. Makes you yearn for the days when the doctor came to visit you. And if you were a good patient, he always had a lollypop for you in his black bag.
Want your article published? Simply email your article with your name, address and phone number to sthistory@aol.com. Be sure to include any photos and captions along with the author’s name. All content must be original. Once our editorial staff reviews and approves your submission, we’ll publish in our next edition. Your articles can then be read by interested readers garnering you increased exposure and noted professionalism. And remember, “If you don’t bring it, we can’t print it!” Articles can also be mailed to The Enterprise, P.O. Box 759, Hebbronville, Texas 78361. Please send stamped envelope for returned content.
Time to Remember ...
...Join us next month for original articles researched and written exclusively for South Texas History. On the stand or delivered to your door August 2013.
...Only in The Enterprise
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
JULY 31 2013
Xtreme Ranch Sales & Leasing Commercial, Residential, Ranch Land Selling Texas one acre at a time Kathy Smith, Realtor
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Come by and see us, we have more than just feed, show supplies, and tack. It’s Hebbronville’s hottest new Hunting store. We are gearing up for a great hunting season. We have a wide selection of shotgun shells and everything else you need for a great hunt. We offer a 2 month layaway plan and have gift certificates available.
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
JULY 31, 2013
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The First National Bank of Hebbronville & Jim Hogg County Celebrating 100 years of Shared Success 1913 2013 305 N Smith Ave. in Hebbronville Phone (361) 527-3221 Toll Free (800) 268-1312 Tele-Bank (361) 527-2637 Bookkeeping (361) 527-4040 Fax (361) 527-5451 Visit us at: www.fnbhebb.com
Report lost/stolen debit cards after hours:(800) 500-1044 Here at The First National Bank of Hebbronville, we provide you with the best banking possible. Please come by our location and meet a group of people that will strive to perfect all your banking needs. In addition, you may bank with us 24 hours a day through our Internet Banking, our AudioTel Telephone (TeleBank) System, or our ATM.
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
COVER STORY By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
If everyone who had ever called Hebbronville
home had stayed here, our town would be huge. Think of it: doctors, lawyers, nurses, engineers, professors, and teachers all here in our town. Many of these people have left here, but there are a number of them who still call Hebbronville home. And there are many people who were never from Hebbronville who would like to call it home. This past month has seen many former residents return to our community. Many came to enjoy the County’s 100th Anniversary Gala. We hosted people from as far away as Michigan and California. During the evening, I heard many people reminiscing about
JULY 31, 2013
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Remembering Hebbronville when it was home their school days and childhood here in Hebbronville. I actually saw a look of envy from those guests who were not from here. What is it about Hebbronville that elicits these sentiments? I’m not sure, but I know that there is something about growing up in a small town; the fact that you know everyone and everyone knows you, you could leave your house and car unlocked, and any parent could yell at you if you were messing up. Even this, however, doesn’t account for the deep attachment many people have to their hometown. I think it has something to do with the fact that our deepest memories are rooted in this community. It happens when we remember where we were when we made our best friends, where we spent summer days and autumn evenings, and where some of us met the
people we would share the rest of our lives with. I will always remember the evening when I met my husband outside a little teen club with the unlikely name of “Loveland”. The building is still there, but the hand painted sign on the north wall is gone and the black walls have been painted over. Yet somehow, whenever I drive past that ghost of a building, I feel like I did when my dad introduced me to the person who I would spend the rest of my life with. That is what continues to draw people back, the attachment to people and places that we will always love. American poet, physician and professor Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “Where we love is home; home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” Hebbronville is home.
REMEMBERING HEBBRONVILLE WHEN ... a shave and a haircut cost two bits By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
Remember barber-
shops? When I was little, I thought a barbershop was a strange, unknown place because I never went inside one. My brother told me I wasn’t allowed because it was only for men and boys. Before there were barbershops, there was a time when barbers were also expected to do medical procedures
like tooth extractions, leeching and bloodletting. The iconic barber poles placed in front of the shop represented red for blood and white for the bandages. However, today’s barber poles represent little more than a place where men can get a shave and a haircut. Early on, barbers were selftaught. Many of these self-proclaimed barbers would ply their trade out on the ranches, shearing
one vaquero after another. One of the earliest barbers in Hebbronville was Abran Ramirez, who cut hair in the garage next to his home and Rudy Almaraz has an old photo of A. Cortinas Barbershop that appears to be from the 1920’s. Soon barbershops began opening up in town. Felipe and Juan Contreras had their shop on Galbraith Street. Burt Fuller worked in his shop next to the old Manhat-
tan Café. The Benavides brothers; Adan, Noe, and Rodolfo worked from the 1930’s until the mid 60’s. Then the state began to require that barbers earn a barber license before opening a shop. After that, barbers would go to barber college before they could be licensed. They even had to spend one year in apprenticeship before they could See HAIRCUT - Page 16
Felipe Contreras (front) in a 1960 photo.
Remembering When ...
Join us next month for South Texas History’s latest edition written exclusively by local historians and writers.
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
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JULY 31, 2013
REMEMBERING HEBBRONVILLE ... when everything was hand made Formed in 1913, the Embroidery Club emember when would meet once a everything was made by week to work on their hand? How many of us embroidery projects. By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
R
have family heirlooms created stitch by stitch by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Last month, I was privileged to see several of the quilts my greatgrandmother Paula made with the ladies of the ranch. I remember visiting my Tia Chata. She seemed incredibly old but spry as she carded wool, collecting the piles together to pad the quilt set up on a frame. Back before our time was taken up by the hustle and bustle of modern life, ladies would gather to sew, embroider and quilt
while they visited and gossiped and entertained themselves with the news of the day. The Embroidery Club was formed in 1913 and would meet once a week to work on their embroidery projects. In December of 1919, it became known as the Self Culture Club and joined the State Federation in 1921. Its first project was to improve 10 acres donated to the county by Voggo Kohler. This became Kohler Park
and today you will find that it is home to our Little League Park, two softball fields, the county swimming pool and most recently a skateboard park. In 1936, they turned their considerable talents to creating a public library. Later, the Cenizo Garden Club, which was organized in 1956, as its first project, took over the landscaping and decorating of the Library grounds. The Club’s aim was to encourage the improvement and beautification of our community. They honored the senior ladies of the community with their annual Lovely Lady Tea and also held Spring Flower shows and the Winter Christmas Tree forest.
A 1916 photo of the Embroidery Club shows members gathered at a Hebbronville residence.
I remember the “Garden of the Month” sign that would be awarded to the most colorful, best kept and well manicured yard in town. I often saw the sign at the Yaeger home across the street from my house. There is no longer a Garden Club or Embroidery Club or Culture Club (Boy George doesn’t count). But many of us treasure these old quilts, cuddling up in the warmth created by memories made from hundreds of tiny stitches by grandmothers’ hands, a labor of love.
Quilt handmade by Paula Garza
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REMEMBERING HEBBRONVILLE WHEN ... everyone dressed up to go out
I
By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
was at a restaurant the other day and saw some young people come in for dinner. They were dressed in sweats and baggy shorts. Most wore tennis shoes or flip-flops. Don’t get me wrong. They were neat and clean, nothing inappropriate by a long shot, and certainly acceptable by today’s standards. But I remember dressing up to go out. I remember that ladies always wore dresses and when they left the house, they always wore heels and hose, hats and gloves. Even during World War II when there was a national shortage of nylon and silk, ladies actually drew a line on their calves so that it would appear that they were wearing stockings. Ladies in hats and gloves, men in suits and ties. It all looked so proper. I remember when men went to work in suits and ties topped off with a fedora. Even my grandfather, who was
a carpenter by trade, went to the shop in a suit and tie, changed there into his work clothes and came home dressed up again. The New York Store even had a special section where tailoring, alterations, cleaning and pressing were added to their services. Such was the need for suits that The New York Store would sell men suits and allow them to make small monthly payments. It remained a staple of that store for many years. In 1939, a small but bustling business opened called the Style Shop. True to its name, it was the only exclusive ladies apparel shop in Hebbronville, selling the best designer dresses, suits, coats, millinery, hosiery, lingerie, bags and costume jewelry. It also sold spring dresses and formals. “What is a spring dress?” I hear my almost teenaged niece ask. A spring dress is a knee-length sleeveless dress with a fitted waist and yards of tulle under the skirt to poof it out. Of course, no lady would be caught in public
wearing slacks. That was only for the home, usually on cleaning day. The Style Shop was owned and operated by Mrs. Anna McMurrey. Her shop carried the latest in baby attire and infant clothing. She also provided one of the most modern salons in the area,
which had top-selling cosmetics as well. Times have changed, to be sure. But sometimes when I see how casual everything is today, I long for the days when men and women dressed up to present their best look when they went out.
REMEMBERING HEBBRONVILLE WHEN ... we saved trading stamps
S
By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
omething I haven’t seen in a long time are trading stamps. Remember those? There were several kinds, but they were all distributed as part of a rewards program. The very first trading stamps were those given by Sperry and Hutchinson, commonly known as S & H Green Stamps, a company that was started in 1896. By 1930, S & H was distributed throughout the U.S. In the 1960’s, during the height of its popularity, the S & H reward catalog was the largest publication in the United States and they issued three times as many stamps as the U.S. Postal Service. Remember, this was in a time before instant messaging when everything
was sent by ‘snail mail’. These stamps were given as a bonus to shoppers based on the dollar amount of the purchase and were given to keep the customers coming back to that grocery store or gas station. Several gas stations here in Hebbronville offered these stamps. I remember Don Meyer’s Service Station gave out stamps and I’m sure many others did as well. I was too young to drive, so I don’t remember
the others. But I saw them advertised on the side of the station. I believe Bozada’s did too, as well as Piggly Wiggly, who gave out Gold Bond Stamps. If you will recall, these stamps were collected in booklets; and there was a trick to it too. Because, you see, there were three different sizes of stamp, issued in denominations of one, ten, and fifty points. There were the little green ones worth one point and the larger stamps worth ten and fifty points. These could not be combined on any one page. A full booklet held 1200 points worth of stamps. These were then taken to a redemption center where they could be traded in for all kinds of premiums, including housewares, children’s toys, and even furniture.
The redemption center closest to Hebbronville was located in Kingsville. I remember saving stamps the year before I got married and used them to purchase odds and ends for my new kitchen. Later I even bought a clown lamp and matching crib carousel for Ricky’s nursery. It felt like I got these things for free. Occasionally, stores now give out cash incentive cards, but it really isn’t the same as collecting stamps and filling the reward booklets. I recently read that one of Stephen King’s first short stories was called “Happy Stamps” in which these stamps were counterfeited in order to buy a house. And once something becomes the subject of a Stephen King story, it becomes part of American culture.
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SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
JULY 31, 2013
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SIDNEY SHARP CONTRACT GAUGING, LLC and all the Sharp Families Congratulate Jim Hogg Co. on her 100th Anniversary!
I n B u s i n e s s f o r O v e r 3 0 Ye a r s !
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SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
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REMEMBERING HEBBRONVILLE WHEN ... dinner time was family time By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
T
here was a time when we all ate our meals at home. It wasn’t that there were no restaurants. It was just that meal times with the family were important. Beyond habit and tradition, it was a time for sitting together, sharing the events of the day and talking about what was important as a family. Times were different then. There weren’t as many fast food places and school schedules were not as complicated as they are now. Many mothers were stay-athome moms and their job was to keep house and have dinner ready in the evening. Many families blessed their food before eating and meant it because they came from
a time when there might not be enough and their gratitude was honest and genuine. Do you remember when dinnertime was family time? I remember sitting around the table every evening at 5:00 on the dot. We talked about what we did in school that day and what projects we were working on. It was never really said, but we understood what was expected of us. Even when I had my own family and schedules were more hectic, we still made time to have dinner together every night. It was a little less strict. In fact, it was and still is a time for laughter and bonding. Even lunchtime at school used to be very proper. Remember Amanda Gutierrez? She ran the school cafeteria with an
iron fist. With no teacher aides or assistants, she walked down the aisles of tables and made sure we ate everything we were given. It was like being at home. The food was pretty good too, as good as homemade most of the time.
Cafeteria workers would arrive at the school in the early hours of the day to begin preparing the lunch meals. You knew what was going to be served by the day of the week. Mondays were beef stew day, Tuesdays were Spanish
rice and beef, meatloaf on Wednesday, hamburgers on Thursday, and of course, enchiladas on Friday. If you recognize this menu, you went to school when I did. And the campuses weren’t closed like they are now.
If you wanted, you could walk across the street to Concha’s, another little old lady who ruled with an iron fist and could handle dozens of kids at a time. Now we have closed campuses with thirty-minute lunches and fast food restaurants on every corner. Many of our meals come in a Styrofoam container. School activities have our kids out many days of the week and it’s just easier to grab a quick something before going on to the next activity. It’s all so rushed and detached. I suggest if you are not doing this already, pick a night of the week, turn off the tv and anything else with a screen or ear buds, and make it a family night. Eat, talk, pray and enjoy your meal on a real plate.
REMEMBERING HEBBRONVILLE WHEN ... we used to buy fresh bread daily By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
Pan dulce, conchi-
tas, cuernitos, galletitas, pan de anise, empanadas de calavaza. Is your mouth watering yet? Remember the smell of bakeries? I remember when we used to walk to the bakery and pick up a fresh loaf of bread and a baker’s dozen (13) of assorted treats. The smell of yeast rising still reminds me of walking into Arturo’s Bakery early in the day when the sweet
breads and cookies were just coming out of the oven. There were several bakeries in Hebbronville over the years. I have recently read stories of bakers in the early years of Hebbronville who would have their wares prepared early in the day so that they could take the fresh product in a cart up and down Main Street to sell. Mingus Bakery was an early favorite. But Chapman’s Bakery was very popular in its day. Chapman’s Bakery, who would give away
match holders, the kind you used to hang near the stove to use when you needed to light the old gas stoves, and was labeled “Chapman’s Bakery—Phone # 5.” That’s how old it was, the phone number had only one number in it. Chapman’s Bakery created a beautiful confection for Quita Guilford Mitchell’s wedding. It was the first wedding cake made by Chapman’s Bakery in Hebbronville in 1937. It was a three tiered, heart shaped cake, and by all
accounts, it was very delicious. Everyone has a favorite bakery story, too. I knew someone who used go to a bakery every day to buy a fresh loaf of hot bread, scoop out the center, shove a whole stick of butter down the middle of it all and eat the whole thing. I wouldn’t recommend it, but doesn’t that sound yummy? There’s something about a bakery, though, that triggers other memories. For me, the smell of anise bread baking reminds me of
visiting my Tia Chatita who always had a batch of anise bread in the oven. To this day when I smell it, I feel ten years old again, sitting in her kitchen with a cold glass of milk and a warm slice of anise bread, fresh out of the oven. Of course, you can find sweet bread in H.E.B. and Krispy Kremes; no real taste, no smell, sadly. Today in Hebbronville, the local bakery is a factory where these old time favorites are turned out in greater numbers. But don’t be
fooled by the name. The quality is still there and the taste is as fresh as ever. Hillcrest Bakery may not look like the old ‘mom and pop’ bakeries we frequented long ago. It may even have a drivethru where you can pick up a cuernito on the run. But with one breath as you open the door, you too will be transported back to a time when we didn’t worry about fat or cholesterol or sugar. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go get some empanadas.
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REMEMBERING HEBBRONVILLE WHEN ... parents complained about your generation By Cynthia Gutierrez South Texas History
“I
see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words.” Last week I substituted for a teacher in high school. One of my classes was mostly boys. I won’t mention names, but you know who you are. After finishing their work, they played a game (?) where they tore the hair off their legs in clumps. It is not a new game, as I later found out from one of my daughters who graduated a long time ago. This game apparently has a name called ‘Odd or Even’ which entails ripping clumps of hair from their arms or legs, counting the hairs and whoever guesses odd or even correctly gets to go next. Who says kids these days don’t know
how to make their own fun. In some ways, kids these days are remarkably more mature than their 1960’s counterparts. But in most ways, they are not. When I started teaching 35 years ago, the kids in my class were two years younger than me. But I was a mature, married college graduate at age 21, so the differences were enormous. For them, everything was boring; especially Shakespearean English. But underneath it all, they were pretty good kids. People always complain about the current generation, but if you look back, kids of this age are always rebellious, it’s just that each generation has a different way of expressing it. Weird hairstyles, strange music, disconnect from the older generation. It has always been so. The only difference is that each generation has its own form of rebellion. When we were kids, it was long hair and rock ‘n’
roll. The worst thing you could do was become a hippie. Now they’re shaved bald and no one knows what they’re listening to because they have ear-buds in their heads all the time. Either that, or they have the bass turned up so high it makes your teeth rattle. Yet in the long history of the world, it was always the next generation that invented the next best thing, came up with the newest life-saving medicines, and boldly went “where no man has gone before.” But what really gives me hope for the future is when I meet up with my old students at a store or restaurant and they tell me how well they are doing, introduce me to their spouses and children and tell me how much they appreciated what I did for them. And I remember them all, even the kid who used to sit in the corner with pencils in his ears. I won’t mention names, but you know who
you are. By the way, the quotation was from Hesiod, an eighth century B.C. philosopher. Go figure.
Why I Like History - National Parks EDITOR’S NOTE: Angelina Gutierrez is the daughter of Cynthia and Rudy Gutierrez. Like her mother, she holds a History degree, graduating from the University of Texas in San Antonio.
The A New
By Angelina Gutierrez South Texas History
ugust has finally arrived, which means summer is drawing to a close. It’s a time to shop for new school supplies, figure out this year’s dress code, and count down the days to tax-free weekend. It also the time of year to get in that last minute summer fun. For some it will be trips to the beach or the lake. Others will get their thrills at amusement parks. And still others will explore nature and the great outdoors at
“One of the reasons why I like this history is that it is as much a study of the land as it is the people who settled it. Nowhere is this blend of past and present, land and people more evident than in our national parks.” some of our amazing national parks. Over the years, I have come to respect and appreciate the field of the American Western History. One of the reasons why I like this history is that it is as much a study of the land as it is the people who settled it. Nowhere is this blend of past and present, land and people more evident than in our national parks. Theodore Roosevelt created the Na-
tional Park Service through a series of legislation spanning his presidency from 1901 to 1909. This was done in reaction to his growing concern for the destruction of the land and its wildlife. In eight years he established game preserves, bird reservations, and national forests and parks, bringing nearly 230,000,000 acres under government protection. In 1906, Roosevelt signed into law the Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities. Today, the National Park Service oversees 401 sites, in every state except Delaware. Perhaps the most famous are Grand Canyon National Park, located in
Arizona, and Sequoia National Park in California. Te x a s boasts 13 parks, including Big Bend National Park, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and Padre Island National Seashore. I’ve had the privilege of visiting several national parks, and I can say, with all honesty, that each was an incredible experience. So if you’re looking to end this summer in style, plan a trip to one of these locations. They are truly inspiring, offering a rich array of history, nature, and jaw-dropping beauty.
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
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CONGRATULATES JIM HOGG COUNTY ON HER
100th ANNIVERSARY
1913
2013
ConocoPhillips has a time-honored tradition of placing safety, health and environmental stewardship at the top of our operating priorities.
Aguilares Crew
Bruce Carrier Operations Superintendent
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At ConocoPhillips we've got a long history when it comes to natural gas. In 1917, at a time when most companies burned off the natural gas they discovered while drilling for oil, the Phillips brothers chose instead to open the first processing plant to recover liquids from natural gas for sale to new customers. Today, almost a century later, natural gas is the world's third-leading energy source – and it has room to grow. Advancements in extraction technology have opened up large reserves here in America, focusing attention on how our country can best utilize this cost-effective and cleaner-burning fuel. ConocoPhillips is committed to doing our part. We understand the importance of addressing our challenges with the best solutions we have available today, while continuing to work for better ones down the road. We recognize there are a variety of viewpoints and we are ready to work with leaders and other stakeholders to help address America's future energy needs.
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
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Down memory lane in old Brownsville, Texas PART 2 OF 2 By Dr. Lino Garcia Jr. Professor Emeritus José Salvador de la Garza and Ma. Gertrudes de la Garza Falcón were granted a Spanish Land Grant in 1781 by King Carlos III of Spain in Northern Cameron County. The daughter of Blas María de la Garza Falcón, Ma. Elizalde inherited this land that included Rancho Viejo land. The same de la Garza Falcón had the land grant later on comprising the King Ranch, and for decades were the Cattle King and Queen of South Texas. They also comprised one of the 13 original families that settled South Texas and Northeastern Mexico around 1767 and before that time in 1749 with Col. José de Escandón. Before that time we merely had the explorers and conquistadores, but without their families; as they arrived later on with promised of Spanish Land grants . These early pioneering ranching families set the tone of character, work ethics, family loyalties, love of nature, citizenry, and other qualities one finds in Old Brownsville families. Thus, from around the beginning of the 18th century to around the last few decades of the 19th century certain leading and prominent Spanish families, some of them enjoying ancestors of Sephardic (Spanish Jewish culture), were the main business leaders and merchants of what was to be modern day Brownsville. These families whose business enterprises consisted in general of large wholesale warehouses (bodegas) in whose places these families also lived In the upstairs area and whose remnants of walls, buildings still form part of old Brownsville; especially east of town, on east Madison, Adams, Monroe, and whose large up to the street old buildings are still standing as an eternal testimony to old Brownsville: Andrés Pacheco, Juan G . Fernández e Hijos, Champion, Ortiz ( La
The settlement of land now comprising Brownsville Madrileña), Samano, Cueto, Cárdenas, Yturria, Cavazos, Celaya, and others were mainly the families comprising the business owners. One can still travel via east Brownsville close to downtown and still see remnants of old building with names at the top such as: Pacheco, Fernández e Hijos , Cueto, Samano, and others attesting to the early Spanish commerce prevalent in old Brownville. The distinct and excellent bicultural aspect of Brownsville got its start during those early times, as northerners coming into the city in search of fortune would married into leading Spanish grantee families of long standing here, and thus produce off-springs with names we would later meet and socialized: Williams, Dorsett, Connors, Shears, Black, Brown, Bollock, Betz, Decker, Bennett, Roberts, Boyd, McAllen, and others. Also during the Civil War, many soldiers from the South arrived, and thus in some cases would marry local girls, as did soldiers stationed at Fort Brown during the 1940’s or so. Thus, from its Native-American presence in the old Brownsville area, to a Spanish Grantee old families, now slowly becoming a bi-cultural city during those formative years of old Brownsville, where Spanish was the preferred language among the city’s old and founding families, including the new comers who soon merged with the local towns people. This scenery began to change some as during mid20th century other individuals arrived in town. I can remember the days when certain grocery stores would deliver their groceries in wagons drawn by two mules, one could see this activity often traveling the streets of old Brownsville, until around 1946 or so, when I suppose certain laws prohibited this practice. Such grocery store as the
Gómez Store located on East Madison and 5th across from the old cemetery, a store we called “El Cafetero,” and just around was the old Gavito Grocery Store on East Jefferson on the way to the only High School In town. I can still remember going into a similar store across the Washington Park located on East 9th. and Adams Street owned by an old Brownsville family, and the store was a long warehouse that extended all the way to the alley, and an old man named Don Nicolás would tend to its customers, and all products were still in large glass or wooden containers. Right nearby was the Crixell grocery store also. I remember walking the streets of old Brownsville on the way to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
to hear mass, or to go along with my sisters who would spray the corridors of the church with flowers or we would say in Spanish “regar las flores”; while we all sang “ Oh, María, Madre Mía, Oh, Consuelo del Altar; ampararme y guiarme a la Gloria Celestial.” I would pass by the old Laiseca Hardware Store in front of the old court house and also by La Madrileña, owned by prominent Ortiz families. Along the way were one or two barber shops filled with customers. There was the City Hall building, whose outside first floor was used by many merchants selling their products, See BROWNSVILLE, Page 16
SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
JULY 31, 2013
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SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
JULY 31, 2013
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HAIRCUT - From Page 6 open their own shop. Rudy Almaraz went to barber college in East Chicago, Indiana and had his first shop in Austin before moving back to Hebbronville in 1973. Lalo Ramirez attended Corpus Christi Barber College. Both worked with Felipe Contreras before obtaining their Master License and opening their own shop with Onofre Serna. “When I first started,” says Lalo, “haircuts cost $1.00!” But even that was an improvement over Hebbronville’s first barbers, who charged only 25 cents. Remember the old jingle, “Shave and a haircut, two bits” where two bits equaled to 25 cents. Imagine working from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to make less than eight dollars. Hebbronville has also had women barbers; Maria Elda Ramirez and Gloria Pena were both barbers that
at one time worked with Rudy and Lalo. Over the years, barbers have had to adjust to changing styles and fad haircuts. From crew cuts to shags and the infamous mullet, hairstyles have gone from the simple to the elaborate, and barbers have had to change with them, but old timers still remember going to Victor Chapa or Onofre Serna, where a kid could get his first haircut for free, while his dad caught up on the local gossip. Now Central Barber Shop, owned by Rudy and Lalo, is the only remaining full time barbershop in Hebbronville, where once there were three or four shops on Galbraith alone. But it’s still a place where the chairs are always filled and the conversation is always lively, heard over the buzz of clippers as little Lalo Ramirez, Rudy Almaraz and Onofre Serna in a boys still get their first haircut and a lollypop. 1980s photo.
BROWNSVILLE - From Page 14 such as the Garcia family fruit and vegetable stand and the Tony Ayala Meat Market. Right in the corner was the Cisneros Radio Store and the Cisneros Flower Shop, Manitou Department Store, the Klan Flower Store and Davos Store, along the East Washington Street were many stores: the González Pharmacy, owned by Tony González, one time Mayor of Brownsville, the Pilot Bar, the Gavito Gourmet Store, the Zepeda Hardware, the Charro Loan Company, the Guadalupana Drug Store for the best ice cream cone after seeing a good western movie at the old Dittman, Río or Grande Theater of old Brownsville. Right next in front was the perennial Mexico Theater or El Tiro, and the Iris ( El Iris) owned and operated by an old line Brownsville family, the David Young family, the Jackson Feed Store, and the Don Enrique Valentín Department Store, Rutledge Hamburger Stand, and to the side were the Shapiro Store, McChesney’s Store, Brooks Walgreen, the OK Café, owned by the Molina family; and the Benavides Hamburger Stand on East Adams, where inexpensive hamburgers were served filled with ketchup. Also present there was the Central
Cash Grocery - Antonio LongoriaPresident. Thee Brownsville Transportation Co. of city buses founded in 1937 by the Mr. Joe Colunga Sr. with his four sons: Joe, Emilio, Luis and Frank, and daughter María. This family that gave Brownsville its first experience with public transportation. Later on the Victoria Transportation Co. operated on the east side of Brownsville. The Azis Brothers Department Store stood on East Elizabeth across from the Walgreen’s and the radio announcer named Lozano uttering his message of: “Venta de trajes para caballeros de buena calidad” (sale of suits for gentlemen of good qualities— instead of “ trajes de buena calidad para caballeros.” The Hargrove Office Supplies stood on the corner of East Brownsville, and whose owner Daddy Hargrove was a fixed figure in shouting the famous “Grito” to set the beginnings of Charro Days. Alongside there stood the Anderson Hardware Store and the C. R. Anthony Department Store in front corner. Brownsville people called it “la tienda fría” (the cold store); being the first air-conditioned store in town.
The Lanes Department Store stood next to the Queen Theater, that at one time was a house belonging to the Young family; other establishments there were Kress and Woolworth Stores, Fishers Café, later became Higgies Café, the White Kitchen, Brownsville Café, and the Rogers Photo Shop along that street, the Texas Drugstore, the Embassy, and of course the perennial Capitol Theater with its balcony, where many a young lady was, indeed, courted. Right across was the Oyster Bar and the Barrel Bar, the Underwood Restaurant on East Levee. On East Elizabeth was the Bollock Department Store owned by an old line Brownsville family and going west we had the Sears Department Store and the Piggly Wiggly and later on the HEB Store. At the corner facing the U.S. Post Office was the perennial Majestic Theater, modernized to its maximum beauty . Right alongside the Market Square, stood the perennial Texas Café owned by the Marquez family, and whose hot biscuits were out of this world; and Simón Café, where the waiter would uttered to the cook his famous code: “hot tambora, two times = two hot
biscuits” . On East Adams was the Central Fire Station next to the Toriz Fruit Stand, where Mr. Toriz would always offer you a “pilón” when one would stop by and buy some candy on the way to the movies. Car dealers I remember are the Tipton Ford Company and Tip-of-Tex Chevrolet Company. Going up West Elizabeth was Hunter Appliance Store and up the street was the Model Laundry owned by the Putegnant family, and next along the street was the Church of the Advent, close to the old and only Brownsville High School. Going west was the Eagle Pharmacy, the Rio Grande Gas Company, and a Photo Studio who did our high school pictures, whose owner Mr. Welch also worked for the Brownsville Police Department. Right along was the Glenn Super Market Store, owned by Mr. Glenn Herman and family. Up ahead on West Elizabeth was the Huff’s Drive Inn, where one could get a good hamburger and a cold coke; and in front was the preferred place to hang out - Den Russ, where friends met over a milkshake for some lively conversations.