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Population high
point: 1,500 (1929). Mirando City grew from less than 100 residents
in 1922 to more than 1,000 by 1925.
History in a Pecan Shell
Nicolás Mirando was the town's namesake.
1881: The Texas Mexican Railway laid tracks to the town and a loading
platform was built for sheep and cattle.
Peyote
In addition to livestock, the area around Mirando City has grown the
peyote cactus. Webb,
Zapata, Jim
Hogg, and Starr
counties contain the only commercial range of peyote cactus in the
U.S. "Peyoteros" have harvested peyote for Indians in the United States
(for religious ceremonies) for over a hundred years. |
Mirando Valley
oil field, 1922
Photo Courtesy Pablo Garcia |
Oil
1921: Oliver Winfield Killam brought in the first commercial oil well
in the area. Killam, who had already promoted the town of Locust Grove
in Oklahoma, bought land in Mirando Valley and started laying out
the town of Mirando City in September 1921. Several months later,
in December, a gusher at another drilling site ushered in an oil boom.
Lots began selling rapidly, and the town quickly became the hub of
activity in the oilfield.
1922: A post office was granted.
A short history of Mirando City's water
Mirando City was established without a nearby water supply.
Until the fall of 1922 all of the drinking water for the town was
hauled from Bruni at a
cost of $13.00 per tank car. In 1922, Wm Sterling and John Long dug
wells in the nearby village of Los Ojuelos, which had flowing springs.
They then laid a pipeline to Mirando City, built a large storage tank,
and installed the town's first water meters. Heavy consumption dropped
the water table and the springs dried up. Attempts at deepening the
wells worked for a short time, but they dried up in the 1930s.
Electricity
In the fall of 1922 a power plant was built to furnish electricity.
It closed after eight months of operation but was bought in 1923 by
Richard Young, and put back into use.
Short lives in Mirando City
The Mirando City Bank was only open from June 1922 to May 1923. The
Mirando City Record - the town's only newspaper, was first published
by Weldon Pharr in June of 1939. The weekly newspaper, although popular,
stopped in 1941.
© John
Troesser |
 |
Mirando City
Barber Shop
1920's Photo Courtesy Pablo Garcia |
Closed store
with ghost sign
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, October, 2010 |
Mirando City
highway sign
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, October, 2010 |
 |
Mirando City,
Texas Forum
My name is Martha
Sanchez and I live in Mirando City with my four children and my husband
whom was born and raised here in Mirando. I would like to share with
your readers my comments towards Mirando. I was born and raised in
Laredo and lived in Florida
for various years and although I had never been accustomed to small
towns, Mirando is a small community that one can come to visit and
would want to stay. In one sentence Mirando is like it's frozen in
time. Being raised in Laredo
I recall living the way people live in Mirando today. There is a lot
of warm hearted, friendly and helpful people in this town. It is great
how Laredo has expanded
so much but, it is very sad to see so much crime. If any of your readers
has time to stop by our small community of Mirando, you are very welcome
to, you will see the difference in the friendliness of the people
that live and work in this small town.
Greetings from Mirando! - Sincerely, Martha Sanchez, August 11, 2002 |
 |
Webb
County 1920s map showing Mirando City
From Texas state map #10749
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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