San Gabriel, Texas Explained

Official Name:San Gabriel, Texas
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Texas#USA
Pushpin Label:San Gabriel
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Texas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Milam
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:417
Coordinates:30.6944°N -97.1961°W
Area Code:512 & 737
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:1367498

San Gabriel is an unincorporated community in Milam County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, it had a population of 100 in 2000.

History

In an effort to convert the native tribes to Christianity, many Spanish missions were built close to the site in the 1730s and 1740s; but, by the middle of the 1750s, these initiatives had been abandoned. By the end of the 19th century, little was left of the mission buildings, which had quickly fallen into disrepair. Jesse and Peter Mercer built cabins on the San Gabriel River in 1843 or 1844, marking the beginning of the settlement of San Gabriel. In 1850, the community received a post office. San Gabriel had 130 people, a church, and a steam gristmill-cotton gin by the middle of the 1880s. The main crops farmed by local farmers in the area were cotton, corn, and oats. San Gabriel's population estimates ranged from a low of 25 in 1890 to a high of 350 in 1929. By the early 1940s, there were 200 residents, and by the late 1950s, there were 75. In the late 1960s, the San Gabriel post office was shut down. In the 1980s, the location was indicated on county highway maps as housing two churches, a business, and a community hall. 100 people called it home in 1990. In 2000, the population was unchanged.

In 2010, Burning Flipside held an event at the Apache Pastures near San Gabriel.[1]

The Sharp General Store in the community is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

On April 6, 2019, an EF0 tornado struck the community, severely damaging a business.[3]

Geography

San Gabriel is located on Farm to Market Road 486, 17miles southwest of Cameron and 6miles north of Thorndale in western Milam County.[4]

Education

San Gabriel had two schools in the mid-1880s. The community served as a school district until it joined the Thorndale Independent School District in 1960.

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.burningman.com/preparation/newsletters/2002-summer/index.html>
  2. https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/5331008002
  3. https://www.kvue.com/article/news/possible-tornado-leaves-trail-of-damage-in-san-gabriel/269-7210da3f-da17-47ae-bd8d-2df760377ed5 Possible tornado leaves trail of damage in San G; KVUE; April 7, 2018.
  4. Web site: San Gabriel, Texas . Texas Escapes Online Magazine . September 18, 2023.