HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Lasara

Lasara, Willacy County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Formed out of the San Juan Carricitos Spanish land grant, the townsite of Lasara was developed in 1926 by W. A. Harding and Lamar Gill. The names of their wives, Laura Harding and Sara Gill, were combined to form the name of the town. During 1926, a post office was established, a Union Sunday School was organized, and the schoolhouse at this site was begun. Lasara School long has played an important role as a social center for community activities. The town, once a center for cattle shipping, continues to be a focal point for the surrounding rural area. (1985)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Carved from the old San Juan Carricitos Spanish land grant, Lasara was laid out in 1926 by developers W. A. Harding and Lamar Gill, who fused their wives' names, Laura and Sara, into the town's. Within that first year a post office, a Union Sunday School, and a schoolhouse all took root, and the school became the community's social heart. Once a cattle-shipping point, the town settled into its role as a hub for the surrounding ranch country.

Why it matters

Lasara shows how the Rio Grande Valley's Spanish land grants were subdivided into Anglo farm-and-ranch towns in the early twentieth century, a quiet reshaping of South Texas.

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Related people

  • Β· W. A. Harding
  • Β· Lamar Gill
  • Β· Laura Harding
  • Β· Sara Gill

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionEducationFrontier HistoryLandmark

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