Los Ojuelos, Texas
Encyclopedia
Los Ojuelos is a ghost town
near Mirando City
in the southeastern part of Webb County
, Texas
, United States
. Before its establishment, Indians camped near the only dependable water source in the semiarid area. The local springs attracted Eugenio Gutiérrez in 1810 and attempted to settle in the area. Frequent Indian attacks forced Gutiérrez to abandon the site. in 1835, Eugenio's son returned to the site and tried to resettle the area but Indian attacks drove him back. In 1850, a company of Texas Rangers were stationed on the site to protect the trade route Laredo, Texas
- Corpus Christi, Texas
. In 1857, José María Guerra, grandson of Eugenio Gutiérrez and an ancestor of Laredo
business
man Joe A. Guerra
, built an irrigation system and a wall around Los Ojuelos to protect from Indian attacks.
By 1860, Los Ojuelos population grew to 400. In 1855 the Texas-Mexican railroad bypassed the town by a few miles. In 1904 the population declined to 174. In 1920 oil was found nearby, but Mirando City was established. The oil boom helped Los Ojuelos grow but in 1950 drilling for oil stopped. Today, Los Ojuelos remains a ghost town.
added the Los Ojuelos (#76002084) to its registered historic districts in 1976. Its historic significance includes information potential and its 1850-1874, 1875-1899 mission Spanish Revival architecture and engineering. Los Ojuelos main structures of significance are a Religious Structure, School, and a Specialty Store.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
near Mirando City
Mirando City, Texas
Mirando City is a census-designated place in Webb County, Texas, United States. The population was 493 at the 2000 census. The town gets its name from Nicolás Mirando, a Spanish land grantee. The population of Mirando City was highest in 1929, at an estimated 1500...
in the southeastern part of Webb County
Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The official 2010 population for the county is 250,304. In 2000, its population was 193,117, and in 2006 its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo...
, 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...
. Before its establishment, Indians camped near the only dependable water source in the semiarid area. The local springs attracted Eugenio Gutiérrez in 1810 and attempted to settle in the area. Frequent Indian attacks forced Gutiérrez to abandon the site. in 1835, Eugenio's son returned to the site and tried to resettle the area but Indian attacks drove him back. In 1850, a company of Texas Rangers were stationed on the site to protect the trade route Laredo, Texas
Laredo, 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,...
- Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
. In 1857, José María Guerra, grandson of Eugenio Gutiérrez and an ancestor of Laredo
Laredo, 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,...
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man Joe A. Guerra
Joe A. Guerra
Jose Antonio Guerra, Sr., known as Joe A. Guerra , was a businessman and a Republican political activist in the heavily Democratic city of Laredo, Texas...
, built an irrigation system and a wall around Los Ojuelos to protect from Indian attacks.
By 1860, Los Ojuelos population grew to 400. In 1855 the Texas-Mexican railroad bypassed the town by a few miles. In 1904 the population declined to 174. In 1920 oil was found nearby, but Mirando City was established. The oil boom helped Los Ojuelos grow but in 1950 drilling for oil stopped. Today, Los Ojuelos remains a ghost town.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
added the Los Ojuelos (#76002084) to its registered historic districts in 1976. Its historic significance includes information potential and its 1850-1874, 1875-1899 mission Spanish Revival architecture and engineering. Los Ojuelos main structures of significance are a Religious Structure, School, and a Specialty Store.