Duval County Picture (San Diego, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 4, 1987 Page: 2 of 6
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Ibanez Addresses
Bilingual Parents
Herminlo Ibanez, a /isory Council on Janua-
1982 graduate of San
Diego High School, ad-
dressed the San Diego
.Bilingual Parent's Ad-
Benavides
Council
To Meet
The Benavides City
Council Mill hold its
regular meeting tomo-
rrow night at 6:30 PM at
City Hall. Under consi-
deration will be the
City delinquent ac-
counts.
The Council will also
discuss "possible liti-
gation" with attorney
Abelardo Garza and the
amending of the City
budget.
WATER From Page 1
bert Slaughter as a
part-timer in Realltos.
They also granted merit
increases to Antonio A.
Garcia and Phillip Ro-
driguez, Jr.
At its regular meet-
ing of February 2, the
board agreed to replace
some 1,500 feet of three
inch line with a six
inch line. The replace-
ment is being done 1n
response to a request by
R. E. Lpez and San Diego
Land Development Company
who are installing a
water line at its High-
land Subdivision next to
the cemetery.
~y 21. Ibanez spoke to
some thirty parents on
the dangers of drug and
alcohol abuse.
Ibanez, who works for
the State Mental Health/
Cental Retardation De-
partment, urged parents
to get involved with
their children, both at
school as well as in the
community.
"The subject of Mr.
Ibanez' speech was of
major interest to the
PAC", said Program Co-
ordinator Margarita Gu-
tierrez, "because of the
increasing number of
drug related problems in
the public schools."
Vasquez
Attends
School
Justice of the Peace
Marcos S. Vasquez of
Realitos recently at-
tended a forty hour
training school which is
required of Justices of
the Peace. Vasquez is
the newly elected Jus-
tice of the Peace for
the Realitos community,
Precingt 6.
Vasquez attended the
training during the week
of January 26 through
30. The training is
given by the Texas Jus-
tice Court Training Cen-
ter in Austin. This
course is mandatory of
new justices of the
peace.
*■' •- - * ! '
Letters
Keep Paper Coming
Dear Mr. Cardenas,
I have enjoyed receiving your newspaper and
jlook forward to reading it every week. . .
I have thoroughly enjoyed the history of
Benavides — my mother was born in San Diego bu
Jjgrew up in Peidras Pintas she was a Tinney and
J-her grandfather was Juan Saenz. I am also
'enjoying your articles on the history of Duval
-.'County.
f\ Please keep my paper coming.
Mary V. Freeman
Little Rock, Arkansas
"\
Buual (County ijjlfrturr
Wednesday, February 4, 1987
Volume 2, No. 5
Page 2
Published each Wednesday by the Duval
Publishing Company, 209 South Gunter, San
Diego, Texas 78384. Copyright 1987 by the
Duval Publishing Company. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced by any means without the
express permission of the publishers.
Alfredo E. Cardenas
Genie Cardenas
Maria Calderon Garza
Editor/Publisher
Office Manager
Living Editor
Subscription Rates are $10.00 per year for
county residents and $15.00 per year for
out of county residents. Subscriptions are
subject to city and state sales taxes. If
you want to subscribe call 279-2218.
The base advertising rate 1s $3.45 per
column Inch. Volume and frequency dis-
counts are available. For more Information
please call 279-2218.
If you wish to have news reported call us
at 279-2218 or come by our offices at 209
South Gunter in San Diego. Our office
hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Monday through Friday.
v
Soil And Water Conservation
by Marlsa Garcia
(Editor's Note: 'The fo-
llowing 1s the winning
essay in the Agua Poqui-
ta Soil and Water Con-
servation District's es-
say contest. Second
place went to Robert
Guerra; third to Belin-
da Cantu; and fourth to
David Valerio. All win-
ners were from San Diego
High School.)
When the European
settlers came to North
America, they discovered
a vast land rich in soil
and water. However, pro-
blems arose and they had
to struggle to provide
food and shelter for
themselves. Today, many
people are concerned
about whether enough
rich soil and fresh wa-
ter will be available
for them since modern
civilization is depen-
dent on these valuable
natural resources. This
concern has led to a
united effort of many
people to conserve pre-
sent resources.
All life on earth de-
pends on soil because it
1s essential for the
growth of plants which,
in * turn, provide food
and shelter for humans
and animals. Most of
the food consumed by
human beings come from
plants. Furthermore,
people use wood from
trees for fuel and shel-
ter.
However, the thin la-
yer of fertile soil that
covers much of the
earth's land gradually
wears away. A major
conservation problem has
long been erosion. Soil
erosion has severely da-
maged approximately one
hundred and seventy five
million acres of land.
Farmers can reduce
soil erosion by planting
trees between their
fields. Many farmers
also practice such soil
conservation methods
such as contour plowing
and terracing.
In contour plowing,
farmers plow across a
slope instead of up and
down. The plowed soil
forms ridges across the
slope which help slow
the flow of rain water.
Terracing 1s another
method of preventing
soil erosion on hill-
sides. Farmers build
wide, flat rows on the
hillsides, thus prevent-
ing water from washing
away our precious soil.
Until recently, itater
conservation had been
placed aside. Now w^ter
conservation has riWi
as a priority problem
for farmrs and many com-
munities.
The follwolng facts
about water reveal its
importance to the exis-
tence of life itself.
Water covers more than
seventy percent of the
earth's surface. It 1s
everywhere, It is 1n the
ground and in the air we
breathe. Without water
there can be no life.
Many water problems
in the United States
have arisen because the
country has*had a plen-
tiful and easily avai-
lable water supply. Wal-
ter has been cheap, and
people have been carel-
less and wasteful. -
Another problem, un-
questionably, 1s water
pollution. Many commu-
nities have problems
with water pollution.
The disposal of sewage,
Industrial chemicals,
and Other wastes Into
lakes makes the water
unhealthy for wildlife
as well as for human
beings.
However, cities and
Industries can reduce
pollution by removing
harmful substances from
wastes before the wastes
are emptied Into lakes
and streams.
Soil and water con-
servation 1s a goal that
can only be achieved
through the combined ef-
forts of many people. It
Is up to today's people
to conserve our natural
resources, soil and wa-
ter, for the benefit
future generations. A
History Of Duval County: Part IV
Political And Economic Development
by ALfredo E. Cardenas
^■CBolitical activity was to play a
AIM prominent role in the development of
JLb Duval County. In the lata 1800's and
fMfr early 1900's, however, Duval County
N still had some economic growing pains.
Shortly after the organization of the County,
in 1879 the Corpus Chr1st1-San Diego-Rio Grande
Narrow Gauge Railroad reached San Diego. The
railroad was later converted to standard gauge
and was renamed the Texas-Mexican Railway,
becoming an Important transportation link
between the Inland port of Laredo and the
coastal port of Corpui Chrlstl. A year after
reaching San Diego the railroad reached
Benavides, which was a new community founded by
the railroad as a depot. With the coning of the
railroad other new towns, such as Benavides,
were founded but old settlements died away as
well. Shoitly after the railroad reached
Benavides, the communities of Piedras Pintas and
La Mota died out as their inhabitants moved to
the new thriving community of Benavides.
Another important way of life dlssapeared
with the coming of the railroad. Duval County
had always been an important roundup area. From
this brush country many of the trail drives that
ended up in Dudge City, and other Kansas towns
of yesterytear, begin. Cattle has always been a
central player in South Texas' economic life and
it found much of its early development 1n Duval
County. The Mexican Vaqueros were the fore-
runners of the romanticized cowboys of later
years. The life of the Vaquero in the Brush
Country was anything but romantic. It was a '
hard and lonely life. ALthough the railroad
brought about the demise of the cattle drives,
it did not kill the cattle induitry 1n Duval
County. It continues today as a vibrant part of
the local economy.
Yet another major contributor of the local
economy as well as that of the overall South
Texas region, is oil and gas, uranium and other
energy related commodities. They too had their
South Texas genesis 1n Duval County. The
Piedras Pintas 011 Field was first founded in
1907 but development did not begin 1nt1l the
1920's. 011 has been around Piedras Pintas
since the early days, when the early ranchers
used it to grease the wheels of their oxen
driven carts. They found no other real use for
1t, however, and the land was considered ruined
by 1t. It was not until later twentieth century
inventions such as the automobile that this land
became valuable. As a result of the oil boom
the third significant community was founded 1n
Duval County, the community of Freer. Another
community owing Its development to oil was Seven
Sisters just north of Freer.
It was primarily because of the development
of oil and gas that Duval County withstood the
harshest times that the depression had to deal.
It was, 1n fact, during this period that Duval
County enjoyed its greatest growth, Eventually,
however, oil and gas, cotton, and cattle had
their gradual decline and most people were
forced to move to the larger towns and became
dependent on government employment or programs,,
for subsistence. ' "^ TTr >
This atmosphere of government dependence gave .
rise to the colorful political history of Duval
County. While the Mexlcan-Amerlcan population .
founded Its initial settlements, much of the
commerce and political life of the county was
dominated by the "Anglo" citizenry. To be sure, .
from early times, the Hispanic community had
seen some success 1n both areas. Nonetheless, 1n .
1912 a shootout took place 1n downtown San Diego
in which three Anglo residents killed three ’
Mexican-Amerleans as a result of a political
feud. This was to be the beglning of a long
history of political Intrigue centered primarily *
around the Parr family.
As a result of the shooting In 1912 Archer
Parr, then a County Commissioner, took the side
, of the Mexican Amerclan community and molded
them into an unbeatable political force. In
this respect Duval County was agalfi In the
forefront of South Texas development. It would
be over half a century before other South Texas
counties saw the political Influence of the
Hispanic community, but Duval County led the
way.
Archer Parr went on to become a State Senator
and contributed greatly to the development of
South Texas. He was born 1n Matagorda County on
Christmas day 1860. He taught school In
Rockport and then bvecame a cowboy for the
Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company, He moved to
Duval County to become foreman of the Sweden
Ranch. Senator Parr passed much legislation and
is credited with setting up Texas A & I College.
CONCLUSION
This is a brief history of a county with a t
long past. As such it cannot approach to tell
the whole story. It highlights all the *
important points of Its early history and legal *
organization. It provides insights Into £
important economic and political developments. *
It does not, however, go Into great detail about *
these developments. Nor does It pass judgement *■
over any of the happenings which have been l
categorized by many as being quite contro-
versial. T
There Is of course the need to do a more •
complete history of Duval County. The early
cattle and sheep industries provide much
insight into the development of the whole area, y
They also provide good information as to the £
way of life in this frontier area. The Impact
of the railroad Is certainly an area that needs •;
deeper probing. The oil and energy related ;I;
Industries offer much for extensive research.
Not mentioned in this short history but of
Importance 1s the contraband era ("los
tequlleros") during prohibition. Of course, one &
can always do much more than was done here with *
the political history of Duval County.
While not the ultimate word on this subject,
this history should provide an outline for
further research 1n the area. Hopefully, a
complete history will follow.
f
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Cardenas, Alfredo E. Duval County Picture (San Diego, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 4, 1987, newspaper, February 4, 1987; San Diego, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1009724/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .