Los Ojuelos, Texas Explained

Official Name:Los Ojuelos, Texas
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Texas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Webb
Established Title:Settled
Established Date:1810
Settlement Type:Ghost town
Population Total:0
Timezone:CST
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CST
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Coordinates:27.4031°N -98.9964°W
Elevation Ft:810
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1378611
Area Code:+1-956
Footnotes:Nearest Airports: Laredo: Laredo International Airport KLRD LRD Nuevo Laredo: Quetzalcoatl International Airport MMNL NLD
Los Ojuelos
Nrhp Type:hd
Map Label:Los Ojuelos
Locmap Relief:yes
Added:December 22, 1976
Refnum:76002084

Los Ojuelos[1] 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 - Corpus Christi. In 1857, José María Guerra, grandson of Eugenio Gutiérrez and an ancestor of Laredo businessman 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. As of 1904, the population had 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 Places added 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. The main structures of significance are a religious structure, school, and a specialty store.[2]

See also

References

27.4031°N -98.9964°W

Notes and References

  1. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrl45 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Los Ojuelos, Texas" (accessed May 23, 2007)
  2. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/tx/Webb/state.html National Register of Historic Places in Webb County