Casa Blanca, Texas
Encyclopedia
Casa Blanca was an unincorporated community
two miles (3 km) southwest of Sandia
and twenty miles (32 km) northeast of Alice
in extreme northeastern Jim Wells County
, Texas
, United States
.
, who was ordered to find a suitable site for a new settlement. After surveying the country Sánchez selected a site on the banks of Peñitas Creek. A settlement was established there, and the White House was constructed of caliche
blocks known as ciares. The house was built in the shape of a square with a courtyard in the center; the well in the courtyard also served as a the end of a tunnel out of the building. Toward the end of the eighteenth century the house was used as a mission.
The Spanish crown granted the land to Juan José de la Garza Montemayor and his sons Agustín, Perfecto, and Manuel on April 2, 1807. They used the Casa Blanca as a ranchhouse. According to records the land was occupied by their heirs until 1852. However, local legend has it that the Montemayor family was driven away by a band of outlaws, who in turn were driven out by hostile Indians. Subsequently various families occupied the house and the surrounding area, and a post office operated at the site from 1860 to 1866. The area continued to be inhabited by several families, and in 1893 the post office was reactivated. In 1896 the land was purchased by John L. Wade. Because Casa Blanca was already established as a stopping point Wade established Wade City adjacent to it, platting streets and setting aside land for stores and churches. In 1896 Casa Blanca-Wade City had a combined estimated population of 150, a Methodist church, a general store, a gin, and a lumberyard. Wade City did not prosper, however, and by 1914 its population had decreased to thirty-five. The post office ceased operation in 1922.
Around 1936 Wade's heirs petitioned for the site of Wade City to revert to them, arguing that the town never developed and showed no promise of doing so and that the land would be more valuable as ranchland. The petition was granted, and Wade City reverted to pastureland; Casa Blanca continued to be an independent community, but by 1945 only ruins remained.
In 1945, the state attempted to eminent domain to dam the Nueces River which was fought until 1955 at which point the state prevailed and was able to dam the river to become the water supply for Corpus Christi and thus flooding and making unusable a little over 2600 acres (10.5 km²) of the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) Wade Ranch.
The Wade Ranch was actually in operation from 1936 until Louella Wade's death in 1973. At that point it was broken up and most of the property became owned by numerous heirs through joint tenancy.
The last heirs were bought out in about 2004, which meant that for the first time since about 1864, no Wade heir owned the property.
Records from the ranch currently reside at Texas A&M - Kingsville and are only open by appointment.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
two miles (3 km) southwest of Sandia
Sandia, Texas
Sandia is a census-designated place in Jim Wells County, Texas, United States. The population was 431 at the 2000 census.-History:Sandia was in the Casa Blanca land grant, issued to Juan José de la Garza Montemayor by Spain on April 2, 1807. The Montemayor family occupied the land until 1852. In...
and twenty miles (32 km) northeast of Alice
Alice, Texas
At the 2000 census, there were 19,010 people, 6,400 households and 4,915 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,597.4 per square mile . There were 6,998 housing units at an average density of 588.0 per square mile...
in extreme northeastern Jim Wells County
Jim Wells County, Texas
At the 2000 census, there were 39,326 people, 12,961 households and 10,096 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 per square mile . There were 14,819 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The Casa Blanca or White House was part of a settlement established at the site around 1754 by Tomás Sánchez de la Barrera y Gallardo, captain of LaredoLaredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, who was ordered to find a suitable site for a new settlement. After surveying the country Sánchez selected a site on the banks of Peñitas Creek. A settlement was established there, and the White House was constructed of caliche
Caliche
Caliche may refer to:*Caliche, a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate.*Caliche slang, a collection of slang words unique to Salvadoran Spanish....
blocks known as ciares. The house was built in the shape of a square with a courtyard in the center; the well in the courtyard also served as a the end of a tunnel out of the building. Toward the end of the eighteenth century the house was used as a mission.
The Spanish crown granted the land to Juan José de la Garza Montemayor and his sons Agustín, Perfecto, and Manuel on April 2, 1807. They used the Casa Blanca as a ranchhouse. According to records the land was occupied by their heirs until 1852. However, local legend has it that the Montemayor family was driven away by a band of outlaws, who in turn were driven out by hostile Indians. Subsequently various families occupied the house and the surrounding area, and a post office operated at the site from 1860 to 1866. The area continued to be inhabited by several families, and in 1893 the post office was reactivated. In 1896 the land was purchased by John L. Wade. Because Casa Blanca was already established as a stopping point Wade established Wade City adjacent to it, platting streets and setting aside land for stores and churches. In 1896 Casa Blanca-Wade City had a combined estimated population of 150, a Methodist church, a general store, a gin, and a lumberyard. Wade City did not prosper, however, and by 1914 its population had decreased to thirty-five. The post office ceased operation in 1922.
Around 1936 Wade's heirs petitioned for the site of Wade City to revert to them, arguing that the town never developed and showed no promise of doing so and that the land would be more valuable as ranchland. The petition was granted, and Wade City reverted to pastureland; Casa Blanca continued to be an independent community, but by 1945 only ruins remained.
In 1945, the state attempted to eminent domain to dam the Nueces River which was fought until 1955 at which point the state prevailed and was able to dam the river to become the water supply for Corpus Christi and thus flooding and making unusable a little over 2600 acres (10.5 km²) of the 10000 acres (40.5 km²) Wade Ranch.
The Wade Ranch was actually in operation from 1936 until Louella Wade's death in 1973. At that point it was broken up and most of the property became owned by numerous heirs through joint tenancy.
The last heirs were bought out in about 2004, which meant that for the first time since about 1864, no Wade heir owned the property.
Records from the ranch currently reside at Texas A&M - Kingsville and are only open by appointment.