The Amanda Burks School
Cotulla, La Salle County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Amanda (Nite) Burks (1841-1931) and her husband William Franklin Burks (d. 1877) moved their ranching operation to present-day La Salle County in 1876. After her husband's death, Amanda continued to run the ranch for over fifty years. Like many early residents of the area, Amanda believed in the importance of education. A frame building served the educational needs of Cotulla soon after the town was founded in 1882. A two-story brick structure was built in 1909. It was renamed in honor of Amanda Burks shortly before her death in 1931. A new Amanda Burks School was built in 1953.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Amanda Burks and her husband moved their ranching operation to the La Salle County frontier in 1876, and after his death the following year she ran the ranch herself for more than fifty years. A believer in education, she was honored when the growing town of Cotulla renamed its 1909 brick school in her memory shortly before her death in 1931. A new school bearing her name rose in 1953.
Why it matters
Amanda Burks was among the rare women who led a major Texas cattle operation on their own, and the school named for her ties frontier ranching to the community's investment in education.
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Related people
- · Amanda Burks
- · William Franklin Burks
Themes & tags
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