DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some men leave a mark on the land — and some men, well, the land itself was theirs to begin with. Captain Enrique Villarreal was that kind of man.
Soldier, colonist, Indian fighter, explorer — pick a title, he'd earned it. At one time, he held title to most of the land that now makes up all of Nueces County. Let that settle in for a moment while you look out at this country rolling by.
Most of Nueces County. One man. Now, the Rincon del Oso land grant — forty-four thousand acres of it — was awarded to Villarreal by the Mexican government in 1831.
But here's the thing: he'd already been working that land as ranch land since 1810. So when the official papers finally caught up to him, Villarreal had been on the ground for over two decades, doing what ranchers do. Trouble came, as trouble does.
Raiding Indians forced him off his land, and he stayed off it until peace was made in 1824. A lesser man might've let it go. Villarreal went back.
And speaking of not letting things go — this was a man who served as an officer in the Mexican Army through not one, not two, but three wars: the Mexican War for Independence, the Texas War for Independence, and the U.S.-Mexican War. He was made commander of the troops at Fort Lipantitlan in 1830. Three wars.
One commander. Forty-four thousand acres waiting at home. In 1841, a man named Henry Lawrence Kinney had established a trading post on land that — and here's where it gets interesting — was part of Villarreal's Rincon del Oso grant.
That's right. The site of what is now the city of Corpus Christi was sitting on Villarreal's deed. The two men met in 1841, and the following year Kinney purchased one sitio of Villarreal's land.
Just one piece off that vast grant. But after Villarreal's death in 1846, Kinney came to own all of the Rincon del Oso Grant. Every last acre.
Captain Enrique Villarreal's place in local history isn't a footnote — it's the foundation. He was the original title holder to most of what is now Nueces County, including the city of Corpus Christi itself. The city you might be heading toward right now is built on land that once belonged to one soldier, one colonist, one explorer who'd been ridin' this ground since 1810.
Some men leave a mark. And some men, the mark they leave is the map.
What the marker says
A soldier, colonist, Indian fighter, and explorer, Captain Enrique Villarreal at one time held title to most of the land that now constitutes Nueces County. The Rincon del Oso land grant, encompassing approximately 44,000 acres, was awarded to Villarreal by the Mexican government in 1831, although he had been using it as ranch land since 1810. Trouble with raiding Indians forced him off the land until peace was made in 1824. As an officer in the Mexican Army, Enrique Villarreal participated in the Mexican War for Independence, the Texas War for Independence, and the U.S.-Mexican War. He was made commander of the troops at Fort Lipantitlan in 1830. When Henry Lawrence Kinney established his trading post at the site of what is now the city of Corpus Christi, he did so on land that was part of Villarreal's Rincon del Oso grant. In 1841 the two men met, and Kinney purchased one "sitio" of Villarreal's land the following year. Kinney came to own all of the Rincon del Oso Grant after Villarreal's death in 1846. Captain Enrique Villarreal's significance to local history lies in his position as original title holder to most of what is now Nueces County, including the City of Corpus Christi. (1986)