El Lobanillo
Geneva, Sabine County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In this vicinity was historic Spanish rancho called El Lobanillo. Pueblo of Gil Ybarbo (1729-1809), where his ill mother and other refugees remained when Spain evacuated colonists from Western Louisiana and East Texas in 1773. Granted 1794 to Juan Ignacio Pifermo, and inherited in early 1800s by John Maximillian (1778?-1866), this is now known as oldest continuously occupied site in East Texas. (1972)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Near here stood El Lobanillo, a Spanish rancho and pueblo tied to Gil Ybarbo, who left his ailing mother and other refugees here in 1773 when Spain forced colonists out of East Texas and western Louisiana. The land was formally granted in 1794 and passed in the early 1800s to John Maximillian, and the site is remembered as the oldest continuously occupied place in East Texas.
Why it matters
El Lobanillo marks the deep Spanish colonial presence in East Texas and the resilience of settlers who clung to the land even as empires ordered them away.
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Related people
- · Gil Ybarbo
- · John Maximillian
Related events
- · Spanish evacuation of East Texas
Themes & tags
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