Los Preseños
Alice, Jim Wells County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1831, Marcelino Lopez of Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, applied for and was awarded a land grant by the Mexican State of Tamaulipas. The settlement of Los Preseños thus began on the Bank of San Fernando Creek approximately two miles east of present-day Alice. The settlement thrived along a trade route that ran from Corpus Christi to San Diego, Laredo and Eagle Pass. Los Preseños was officially mapped from 1832 until 1878 as a railroad line was being constructed from Corpus Christi to Laredo, passing through the Los Preseños Land Grant. N.G. Collins purchased the property from the Lopez family in 1877. He founded the town of Collins which soon replaced Los Preseños. (2017)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1831, while Texas was still part of Mexico, Marcelino Lopez of Camargo secured a land grant from the state of Tamaulipas and founded Los Preseños on San Fernando Creek. The little settlement thrived on a trade route linking Corpus Christi with Laredo, San Diego, and Eagle Pass, and appeared on maps for nearly half a century. When N.G. Collins bought out the Lopez family in 1877 and platted the town of Collins, Los Preseños faded into memory.
Why it matters
It marks the Mexican-era roots of South Texas settlement, a reminder that ranching and trade communities flourished here under Mexican land grants long before the towns that replaced them.
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Related people
- · Marcelino Lopez
- · N.G. Collins
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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