Historical Marker Projects
Alba Cemetery
CITC Chair Gina Alba-Rogers with the James-Duran-Alba Cemetery medallion.
CITC Chair Gina Alba-Rogers with the James-Duran-Alba Cemetery medallion.
CITC Chair Gina Alba-Rogers with the James-Duran-Alba Cemetery medallion.
CITC Chair Gina Alba-Rogers with the James-Duran-Alba Cemetery medallion.
CITC Chair Gina Alba-Rogers with the James-Duran-Alba Cemetery medallion.
Hays County Road crew installing the James-Duran-Alba Cemetery medallion in 2018.
Cemetery gate entrance on private land in Dripping Springs.
VAQUEROS, RANCH HANDS, AND
STOCK RAISERS
The Story of Vaqueros, Ranch Hands And Stock Raisers tells the story of Texas history.
Pedro Veracruz (1822-1895) born In Nuevo Leon, MX and is buried in a Historic Texas Cemetery. First brought to Texas with Gen. Santa Ana’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo; he was too young to fight and tended to the animals. Later he provided Texas with horses from Mexico during the Civil War. In 1865, Veracruz registered his cattle brand and settled in Hays County with his wife, Juanita Tejeda. His work was seasonal, so he worked on different ranches. Veracruz began a generational line of Vaqueros, including his son, Antonio (circ. 1870-1889), buried beside him. These stories recognize strong ranching and cultural traditions representing lives at the center of untold Texas history.
Pedro’s descendants from Texas were Salvador Veracruz, Sr. (1867),Luciano Cisneros, Sr. (1870), Leonardo Candelaria (1884), Valdo Eshland Castillo (1898), Luciano Cisneros, Jr. (1899) and Daniel Cisneros (1895). They all ll worked as Vaqueros and ranch hands on local ranches. As cattle prices declined, they sheared sheep and maintained ranches. A few traveled the circuit with Buffalo Bill. Others like Joseph Santa Anna Cruze (1845) made trips on cow hunts. His son, Joe S. Cruze, Jr. (1881) became the Foreman of the Kuykendall 101 Ranch and more than 11,000 acres. One ranch hand was Adam Rector (1855), a black man who "could rope with the best," according to Cruze. Isabella Gonzalez Cruze (1821-1911), age 38, was recorded In 1860. as a
landowner and stockbreeder owning 640 acres in 1854. Her husband, Guillermo (Bill) Cruze (1815? -1856), deeded horses and cattle with his cattle brand to her before he died. He was ambushed near his home in 1856; with him was Chief Gray Eagle, also buried in the Cruze Family Cemetery.
Together these families, gave much by their contributions and sacrifices to the success of ranching and Texas history.
Don Felipe Roque de la Portilla Historical Marker
Marker Text: DON FELIPE ROQUE DE LA PORTILLA, AT THE REQUEST OF MANUEL ANTONIO CORDERO Y BUSTAMANTE, INTERIM GOVERNOR OF THE PROVINCE OF TEXAS, SPANISH-BORN ARMY CAPTAIN AND RANCHER FELIPE ROQUE DE LA PORTILLA (1766-1841) ESTABLISHED A COLONY HERE WHERE EL CAMINO REAL DE LOS TEJAS CROSSED THE SAN MARCOS RIVER. ALONG WITH HIS OWN FAMILY INCLUDING WIFE MARÍA IGNACIA (DE LA GARZA) AND THEIR EIGHT CHILDREN, HE BROUGHT 52 SETTLERS FROM THE INTERIOR OF NEW SPAIN. THE FIRST GROUP DEPARTED VILLA DEL REFUGIO (LATER MATAMOROS) ON DEC. 8, 1807, ARRIVING ON JAN. 6, 1808, TO FOUND THE CIVILIAN SETTLEMENT OF SAN MARCOS DE NEVE.
TITLES WERE ISSUED TO 13 LOTS, AND HOMES WERE BUILT AROUND A CENTRAL PLAZA, ONLY TO BE WASHED AWAY IN JUNE FLOODS. DON ESTEBAN GARCÍA WAS THE VILLAGE SCHOOLTEACHER. HARDSHIPS PLAGUED THE COLONY: MILITARY TROOPS DEPARTED; NO PRIEST ARRIVED; SEED AND A FARM IRRIGATION SYSTEM DID NOT MATERIALIZE; AND HORSES AND CATTLE WERE LOST TO WOLVES AND TO RAIDS BY COMANCHE AND TONKAWA. PORTILLA WROTE THESE GROUPS WOULD OFTEN “CAMP IN THE PLACE SET ASIDE AS THE PASTURE AND IN THE CENTER OF TOWN.” AN 1809 CENSUS LISTED 73 PEOPLE AND 1,771 ANIMALS; THE POPULATION PEAKED AT 91. ALTHOUGH THE VENTURE WAS GOVERNMENT-INITIATED, PORTILLA INVESTED HIS OWN FUNDS IN THE COLONIZING EFFORT, AND IN EXCHANGE WAS GRANTED A TOWN LOT AND TWELVE LEAGUES OF LAND ALONG THE SAN MARCOS AND GUADALUPE RIVERS. HE LOST HIS HEALTH AND FORTUNE AND WAS FORCED TO LEAD HIS PEOPLE BACK TO VILLA DEL REFUGIO IN 1812. LIVESTOCK LEFT BEHIND CREATED A LARGE POPULATION OF WILD CATTLE AND HORSES.
PORTILLA CONTINUED TO SERVE AS AN ARMY OFFICER AND AS ALCALDE IN MATAMOROS. IN 1829, HE HELPED HIS FUTURE SON-IN-LAW, JAMES POWER, AND POWER’S ASSOCIATE JAMES HEWETSON, ESTABLISH THEIR TEXAS COLONY NEAR THE GULF COAST. PORTILLA RECEIVED A LAND GRANT ALONG THE ARANSAS RIVER, MOVING HIS FAMILY THERE BEFORE RETURNING TO MATAMOROS IN 1836. HE IS REMEMBERED AS AN EARLY SETTLER AND CIVIC LEADER BOTH ALONG THE RIO GRANDE AND ON THE FRONTIER OF NEW SPAIN.
(1976, 2020)