As a result of the activities of the royal commission of 1767, settlers could assert claims to porciones for farming and grazing. Within a short time, however, the growth of sheep and cattle herds created demand for ever-larger tracts of land. Several landowners made applications for large grants in the Rio Grande Plain after 1777 so that they could establish ranches in the land north of the Rio Grande porciones . Such grants went primarily to the elite, families such as the Canos, Hinojosas, Garzas, Garza Falcones, Cavazoses, and Ballis. The grants were as large as 25 to 100 leagues, and they became breeding grounds for the enormous herds of cattle that were marketed to areas beyond South Texas. Between 1778 and 1786, there were 68 legal cattle drives to Louisiana alone. A second wave of grants in the study area occurred after Mexico became independent of Spain in 1821; some of these may have been the result of a special act passed in 1833. The act was intended to validate the claims of settlers who had moved to the area after 1821, who were inhabitants of the Rio Grande towns, and had livestock but no land. They were entitled to as many as five leagues each. Individuals who received grants in the study area after 1821 and included Dionisio Elizondo, 1835, El Senor de la Carrera Grant encompassing 10,078 acres in Duval County, Alfredo Cardenas wrote the following about this grant: On October 15, 1835, state of Tamaulipas also approved the sale of El Senor de la Carrera grant to Dionisio Elizondo. It consisted of two leagues, six labores and 891,000 square varas and was located about 55 miles southwest of Corpus Christi on the Laredo road which traversed the grant at the very northern tip. Also on the northeast corner of the grant was the Laguna Travesada. Soon afterward, the Texians captured Santa Ana at San Jacinto and he reportedly had surrendered the Nueces strip as part of the deal to gain his freedom. At first, this action prompted an exodus of livestock and people from the area. General Antonio Canales ordered residents to abandon the territory and threatened anyone found in the area with punishment as a spy. It soon became clear to officials in Tamaulipas that the Nueces strip, which was not part of Texas, had not been part of the terms of surrender and Gen. Canales and the Mexican government rejected Texas’ claim to the Nueces strip and continued to make land grants in the area.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 03:45:08 +0000
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