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History
in a Pecan Shell
by Clint
Skinner
Located in the southwestern portion of Jim
Hogg County, Guerra lies fourteen miles south of Randado and
thirty-five miles north of Garceno on Ranch Road 649. Its current
population is six, making it the smallest town in Texas. However,
it was not always like this.
A. Guerra, whose last name is the Spanish word for "war", first
settled the land in the late 1800s. Although the town was named
after him, the Mexican inhabitants preferred calling it El Colorado
because large numbers of red cattle roamed the area. The post office
moved from San Antonio Viejo and opened at Guerra in 1906 with Don
Apolonio Gomez acting as the postmaster. By 1914, the town had a
hundred citizens and sixteen businesses.
From 1920 to 1967, the number of those living in Guerra remained
the same with fifty people. The number increased by 25 the following
year. Over two decades later in 1990, the town had only fifteen
residents, most of them working at a retail store. The reason for
this big change in size remains a mystery. Regardless, Guerra still
exists and even remains a part of the Jim Hogg County Independent
School District like all the other towns in the region.
Bibliography
Tshaonline.org
Wikipedia.org
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1907 postal map
showing Guerra in Starr
County
before Jim Hogg County
was formed
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
From 1920 Texas
state map #10749 showing Jim
Hogg County
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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