Realitos, Texas, Duval County. (original) (raw)
History in a Pecan Shell
Other than it being part of the former Santos Garc�a Spanish land grant, there is little history prior to the mid 1880s. A post office was granted in 1886 and by 1890 the population had reached 400 residents served by two general stores. In two years the population had doubled to 800, although that was an estimate. This was the town's population peak - although the infrastructure had only increased slightly from its 1886 basic businesses.
In 1913 there was proposal to create a new county - to be named Pat Dunn. Political shenagagans deprived Realitos of a voting box, insuring that Realitos' rival town (Benavides) would gain county seat status. By the State Legislature threw out establishment of the proposed county on a technicality, sparing the region redistricting and a bitter rivalry between the two towns.
The year 1914 showed a population of just 225 and as late as the 1980s it remained under 300. The town retained a school in the 1960s, but this merged with the Benavides school in the mid 1970s.
Photographer's Note:
"This is a quaint village located on the main highway and the Texas-Mexican (now Kansas City Southern) Railroad. You can zip past it easily on the high-speed highway that cuts through it, however, by taking your time, you visit a classic, typical South Texas town with some unique dwellings and a couple of places representitive of what passed for entertainment prior to the 1980s.
Most interesting is the picturesque historic Scared Heart Catholic Church. This little jewel sits hidden - just one block from the main highway. However, this little ol' Texas town is not as peaceful as you might think when the colorful locomotives of the KCS come thundering through the town, headed from the border pulling a long train of goods." -
1920s Duval County map showing Realitos
(Below "U" in DUVAL") SW of Benavides
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
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