Cotulla Ranch
Cotulla, La Salle County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Polish immigrant Joseph Cotulla (1844-1922) came to America in 1856, traveling with his family by ship and oxcart. He worked on area ranches and registered his own brand, the BAR JF, in 1863. Joseph enlisted in the First Texas Cavalry of the Union Army and served for two years during the Civil War. He drove cattle from the Nueces River to Kansas for several years. He started an area ranch with four other men in 1869 before establishing his own ranch in 1874. Cotulla continued to buy land and amassed more than 30,000 acres in La Salle, Dimmit and Webb counties. He donated 120 acres of the ranch to the railroad in 1881 to develop a townsite, which bears his name and became La Salle county seat. The original ranch land remains in the family today. (2009)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Joseph Cotulla left Poland as a boy in 1856, crossing to America by ship and oxcart and settling into the ranching country of South Texas, where he registered his own brand in 1863. He served two years in the First Texas Cavalry of the Union Army during the Civil War, then drove cattle to Kansas and steadily built a ranch that grew to more than 30,000 acres across three counties. In 1881 he donated land to the railroad for a townsite that took his name and became the seat of La Salle County.
Why it matters
Cotulla's rise from immigrant ranch hand to founder of a county seat captures how newcomers helped build the towns and cattle economy of the South Texas frontier.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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