DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just the one riding along. Before there was a Del Rio, before there was a plaza, before there was even a name for this stretch of the Rio Grande country, there was water. And out here in West Texas, water is everything.
It drew people in long before any of us were keeping records — a Pre-Columbian Indian village settled right here, on this very ground, because the water said: stay. And it kept on saying that to everyone who came after. Cabeza de Vaca passed through in 1535.
Castaño de Sosa in 1590. These were among the earliest Europeans to visit Texas, and they came to this same spot for the same reason the Indians did. That spring, that creek, that blessed abundance of water.
But a passing visit is not a community. The permanent settlement of San Felipe del Rio didn't take root until frontier protection was assured in the 1860s. Then, on October 8, 1869, a group of forward-thinking men organized the San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing and Irrigation Company — and here's the part I love — they paid their employees in land.
Land along San Felipe Creek, handed over as wages. That'll put down roots in a hurry. Railroad lines reached Del Rio in 1884, and growth followed the iron rails the way it always did.
But let's talk about the heart of this place. On Cinco de Mayo, 1908, Brown Plaza was dedicated — the first plaza established in Del Rio. And it wasn't just a patch of ground with a sign on it.
The people built a bandstand. A kiosko, they called it. Musical concerts filled the air.
Political gatherings, social gatherings, formal promenades that became a custom — this plaza was where the community came alive. Travelers rested here and cooked their food over charcoal fires. It was the kind of place that holds a town together without anyone having to say so out loud.
Now, the man whose name the plaza carries — George Washington Brown, born in North Carolina in 1836 — he migrated West in his youth and made Texas his own. He served his adopted state for forty-three years, holding the offices of county clerk and district clerk. He gave this plaza to the people.
Forty-three years of public service, and then he gave them a place to gather. George Washington Brown died in 1918, and the plaza he donated is still standing. It was restored in 1969.
Same ground where the Indians settled. Same ground Cabeza de Vaca walked. Same bandstand music drifting over the same San Felipe Creek.
Some places just know what they are.
What the marker says
First Plaza established in Del Rio--a city built one site of a Pre-Colombian Indian Village. Abundant water, which attracted the Indians, also drew to this spot the earliest Europeans to visit Texas, including Cabeza De Vaca (1535) and Castano de Sosa (1590). The permanent community of San Felipe Del Rio was founded after frontier protection was assured in 1860s. The San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing & Irrigation Company (Organizsed Oct. 8, 1869) promoted settlement by giving land along San Felipe Creek as wages to its employees. Railroad lines reached Del Rio in 1884, furthering growth. Brown Plaza, dedicated on Cinco De Mayo, 1908, was gathering place for the community. A bandstand (or Kiosko) was built by the people. Musical concerts delighted audiences and performers. The Plaza was scene of political and social gatherings. Formal promenades became a custom. Travelers rested here and cooked thier food over charcoal fires. George Washington Brown (1836-1918), donor of the Plaza, was born in North Carolina, migrating West in his youth. He served his adopted state for 43 years in offices of county clerk and district clerk. The Plaza was restored in 1969. (1970)