Photographer's
Note:
Located in Southern San Patricio County this marker tells the tale of
the small community of White Point or Rosita, Texas. The marker is located in
Odem, Texas in their park in the middle of town.
- William
Beauchamp
History in a Pecan Shell
All
that is left of Rosita / White Point today is a cemetery.
The White Brothers
(Eddie and Frank) were ranching
in the area as early as the mid- 1850s. East Texas rancher Darius C. Rachal brought
a herd here to graze and fell in love with the open coastal prairie. The White
Brothers sold Rachal land and he settled in.
In 1867 a Yellow Fever outbreak
killed a sizeable portion of the tiny populace, hitting the White family hardest.
The name White Point is said to either have been named after the Whites,
or the appearance of the white dunes or bluffs along the coast. Mr.
Rachal prospered and extended his business into cotton
farming. He opened a gin and a store in 1879. Rachal applied for a post office
submitting applications under the names White Point and Rachal, but both names
were rejected by postal authorities. Finally, in 1892, with Rachal as postmaster.
Rosita, Texas came into being. Although it was closed in 1919.
In
the 1920s, most of Rosita’s residents moved to nearby Odem.
Although the area was depopulated, the Rachal Family remained and continue to
own what was once White Point / Rosita. |
