Valenzuela Ranch Headquarters
Catarina, Dimmit County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Begun in the 1870s by Thomas Kearney (1810 - 1896) and James A. Carr (d. 1894), this became one of the area's largest ranches, comprising 84,600 acres in Dimmit and Webb counties. After Kearney sold his half interest in 1884, Carr retained the western half of the ranch, which became known as Valenzuela. In 1894 Carr sold his ranch to Edward Kotula (1844 - 1907), a San Antonio merchant and important South Texas rancher. The Hispanic-inspired architecture of the house features a thatched roof, stepped buttresses, and stuccoed sandstone walls. RTHL - 1987
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the vast brush country of South Texas, partners Thomas Kearney and James A. Carr began assembling one of Dimmit County's largest cattle operations in the 1870s—an empire eventually spanning more than 84,000 acres across two counties. After the partnership dissolved in 1884, the western half became the Valenzuela Ranch, later sold to San Antonio merchant Edward Kotula. The headquarters house, with its thatched roof, stepped buttresses, and stuccoed sandstone walls, reflects the Hispanic building traditions that shaped border ranching.
Why it matters
The ranch embodies the open-range cattle empires that defined South Texas after the Civil War, and its architecture preserves the Mexican and Spanish influences woven through the region's ranching heritage.
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Related people
- · Thomas Kearney
- · James A. Carr
- · Edward Kotula
Themes & tags
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