Dolores Townsite
Brackettville, Kinney County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Only settlement founded in John Charles Beales' ill-fated Rio Grande colony of 1834-1836. Beales (1804-1878) -- empresario of 70,000,000 acres in present Southern and Western Texas and New Mexico -- was Texas' largest known land king. In 1833 he and a partner brought 59 settlers here to colonize a town to be named for Beales' Mexican wife. Indian raids and drouth soon took their toll, but the death blow came in 1836. As the group fled the Mexican Army during the Texas Revolution, Comanches killed all but 7 of one party. This ended the town's existence. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1833 the English-born empresario John Charles Beales — holder of a staggering land grant across present-day Texas and New Mexico — led fifty-nine colonists to this spot to found a town named for his Mexican wife. Drought and Comanche raids battered the fragile settlement, and when the colonists fled south during the Texas Revolution in 1836, most of one party was killed on the road. The town never recovered.
Why it matters
Dolores is a stark reminder of how many ambitious frontier colonies simply vanished, undone by the very land, weather, and conflict their promoters had promised to overcome.
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Related people
- · John Charles Beales
Related events
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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