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History in
a Pecan Shell
Originally called
San José, it existed as a sleepy Mexican village until the
1880s when a company started mining coal here. Chas. Wright, as president
of the Cannal Coal Company, built a railroad (The Rio Grande and Eagle
Pass) to haul the coal to market. The namesake for the renamed town
was Wright’s daughter. A post office was granted in 1913 and a headcount
of residents the following years was said to number 1,000.
The coal deposits played out in the early 1920s and by 1939 they had
ceased operation. There were still enough residents to require a school
and in the mid 1930s the population was given as 20 where it remained
for decades. The post office closed in 1930. Today only two cemeteries
and a few lonely houses remain. |
Webb
County 1920s Map
showing Dolores
(Below "W" in "WEBB")
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
Webb
County 1907 Postal map
showing Laredo and the Rio
Grande and Eagle Pass RR
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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