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ENCINO (page is under construction) |
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| INTRODUCTION GENEALOGY Homelands HISTORY |
A historical marker erected by the Texas Historical Commission reads as follows: El Encino del Poso (The Oak in the Hole) In this vicinity once stood a magnificent live oak tree that was an early landmark on the South Texas Plains for many years, noted for its size and its wide canopy. It was located in a large hollow created by livestock that gathered beneath its branches and by winds that eroded the exposed soil. El Encino del Poso was a landmark for early trails and land grants. It also served as the location of a stagecoach station and as the basis for naming Encino (1 mi. N). The tree died in the 1890's, before the formation of Brooks County, the victim of an extended drought. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 The Handbook of Texas Online has a short article giving a very brief history of Encino (see Encino article) and another on the history of Brooks County (see Brooks County article).
View
of the Encino Elementary School. The tree in the foreground is an
"encino", or The Encino Elementary School is a great source of pride to the community of Encino, and a source of many fond memories for me personally. Community pride and concern for quality of education came to the forefront in 1996 when the Brooks County Independent School District, in a cost-cutting move, attempted to close down the school and bus all the students to Falfurrias, 20 miles north of Encino. The community responded by establishing a corporation, the Encino Save Our School Corporation, to take over the school and run it is a private institution. Successful in their efforts, the Encino Elementary School is now operated as a charter school. (See Dallas Morning News article.) My goal is to eventually present a brief history of the community of Encino, Texas, including the ancestry of several of the families who have lived in the area for much of its history. Families with long histories in the area include the Zarate, Bayarena, Villarreal, Garcia, Perez, Longoria, Cantu, Abrego, Rodriguez, Benavides, Morales, de Luna, Guzman, Anzualda, Cortez, Soliz, Escalante, Martinez, Chavana and Huerta families. My original intent was to prepare a short history of the community of Encino and its founding families. I regret that I have yet to follow up on my planned research. But I have not yet eliminated it from my list of things to do. I will update this page whenever I have meaningful additions.
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