[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE CASTROVILLE, TX, SESQUICENTENNIAL
______
HON. HENRY BONILLA
of texas
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 5, 1994
Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, I would like to take this
opportunity to share with you remarks delivered by Monseigneur Roy Rihn
on the occasion of Castroville, Texas' Sesquicentennial. This statement
eloquently recounts the history of this proud community and I strongly
recommend it to all. I am also sharing a copy of a letter I sent
Castroville Mayor McPherson on this historic occasion.
September 3, 1994.
Hon. Ron L. McPherson,
1209 Fiorella,
Castroville, TX.
Dear Mayor McPherson: I am honored to be here today and I
would like to thank you, the Medina County Historical
Commission and all of the citizens of Castroville for
allowing my family and I to participate in Castroville's
sesquicentennial celebration.
Upon my return to Washington, I will submit today's remarks
to the Congressional Record as an official account of today's
events celebrating the history of Castroville.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the warm and
friendly community of Castroville Texas on its 150th
anniversary. Known as the ``little Alsace of Texas,''
Castroville's ancestors traveled from the Rhine provinces of
France and settled on a scenic spot along the banks of the
Medina River, fifteen miles west of San Antonio in 1844.
What is known as the old part of Castroville has been
designated as a National Historic area, and today almost 100
original homes are still in use.
Henri Castro, a French citizen of Portuguese descent sought
colonists to come to Texas from Europe. He proved to be quite
successful attracting 485 families and 457 single men to the
Republic of Texas. In fact, only Stephen F. Austin brought
more settlers to the State.
I can think of no better example of a community committed
to the preservation of its history and the prosperity of its
future than Castroville, Texas.
This commitment will serve to benefit the citizens of
Castroville for generations to come.
Congratulations, Castroville, on your sesquicentennial!
Sincerely,
Henry Bonilla,
Member of Congress.
____
Remarks of Roy Rihn
It rained torrents all day in San Antonio de Bejar Sunday,
September 1, 1844. But that was the date Henri Castro had set
to begin the 25-mile trek westward to the site he had chosen
for his first colony, so, rain or no rain, the 22 carts he
had assembled finally got underway around 4:00 in the
afternoon. The cavalcade included Castro, his trusted
lieutenant, Louis Huth, 27 colonists, 8 hired helpers and a
20-man armed guard. (The women and children had stayed in San
Antonio for safety.) By nightfall the following day, they
reached the east banks of the Medina River where they
encamped overnight. Early the next morning, Tuesday,
September 3rd, under a now-clear and benign sky, the entire
party crossed the Medina to the lush flatland bounded on the
north, east and south by the river's horseshoe bend, on the
west by gentle hills. Castro drew up the carts in a circle
inside which, he reports, each man had by nightfall
constructed a cabin of brush and reeds. That evening, made
festive by a copious supply of stout red wine (compliments of
the impresario), all the men savored a meal featuring wild
turkey, deer and bear shot that day--in what was to prove the
first of many ``wild game dinners'' in Castroville. This day,
marked by hard labor and ending with hard partying, was the
foundation-day of this storied town--exactly 150 years ago
today. Thus September 3, 1844, is the date of the actual
founding, though the formal founding ceremonies occurred
September 12th--a momentous day which included the laying of
the corner-stone of St. Louis church by Bishop Odin, the
official adoption of Castroville as the name of the colony,
and the first election of local county officials.
This may give the impression that developments had gone
smoothly for Castro once he had signed a contract with the
Republic of Texas on February 15, 1842, to settle, within 3
years, 1200 colonist-families on the 3 huge tracts of public
lands between San Antonio and the Rio Grande. Not so!
Indicative of the frustrations, disasters and treacheries
which dogged Henri Castro from the outset is the fact that,
even though he had recruited and transported across the
Atlantic to Texas more than 700 persons in 7 ships between
November, 1842, and May, 1844, only 27 hardy souls showed up
that rainy Sunday to begin the hazardous venture into the
wilderness. What happened? The heart-breaking story is too
long to re-tell here, but let me mention only 2 details. The
surrender of Santa Ana at San Jacinto in 1836 did not end the
Texan-Mexican war--Mexican forces recaptured San Antonio
twice in 1842: once in March and again in September. Those
invading forces had marched through the heart of the Castro
concession. This daunting news greeted the Castro recruits
when they disembarked on Texas soil between January 1843 and
July 1844. Many of them opted for the safer terrain of
Victoria or Houston and never got even to San Antonio, let
alone to Castroville. Some (who could afford it) sailed back
to Europe. And those who did make it to San Antonio found
themselves in a precarious limbo: not until Louis Huth
arrived on the scene early in 1844 was there anyone there to
meet them, to advise them, to help them. (Castro himself,
busy recruiting more settlers in Europe, was not to arrive in
San Antonio until July 1844.) Luckily, these bewildered
immigrants did have one thing going for them upon arriving in
San Antonio: housing was plentiful, since most of the
inhabitants had fled in terror, leaving their houses vacant,
when the Mexican army twice re-occupied the city in 1842.
Then there were the native Americans--the Indians. Though
generally friendly, they could at times be as savage as their
European invaders. The news of the first massacre of one of
Castro's colonists en route from Port Lavaca to San Antonio
in August, 1844, shocked and terrified the remnant waiting in
the San Antonio staging area. Ever fewer dared the risks of
settling west of San Antonio where Indians were even more in
control. All this (and much more) contributed to the
embarrassing 27-out-of-700 response to Castro's clarion call
to get the great adventure underway September 1st, 1844.
Except for a quirk of fate, we would be celebrating this
sesquicentennial not here but in Quihi. The easternmost
boundary of Castro's concession began some 7 miles west of
here. On July 25th, 1844, just one week after Castro first
arrived in San Antonio, he led a scouting party to inspect
his concession for the purpose of selecting a suitable site
for the first colony. Their unanimous choice was Quihi Lake,
about 9 miles west-northwest of here. But when Castro got
back to San Antonio July 31st, he learned that his
competitor, Prince Solms, was negotiating with one John
McMullen to purchase for colonization a 50,000-acre tract
along the Medina River. Castro knew that if this deal were to
go through, his own project would be doomed: few settlers
would cross through available land much closer to San Antonio
(and therefore much safer)--rich land with a clear river
flowing through it--to get to his concession farther west. He
immediately sought out McMullen, used all his charm and
powers of persuasion, and within 3 weeks--on August 22nd,
1844--got McMullen to sign a contract selling him 25,000
acres of his Medina Valley tract for $2,000.00! Within less
than 2 weeks Castro had his first colonists ensconced here on
the banks of the Medina, busy building the town they were to
name Castroville.
The dedication of a Texas Historical marker honoring Henri
Castro will be highlight of today's observance. Books have
been written about this colorful man, so I shall not attempt
even to summarize the story of his remarkable life. Let me
say only that the State of Texas is well advised to honor his
memory, for he played a significant role in its history--both
as a Republic and as a fledgling State. Of the several
empresarios with whom the Republic of Texas contracted to
colonize public lands, Henri Castro was the only one who
followed that contract through to a successful conclusion--
and did so in the face of incredible odds. Between 1844 and
1847 he was responsible for the founding of 4 frontier
settlements in the vulnerable buffer zone between Texas and
Mexico--2 of which, Dhanis and Castroville, flourished, and
remain 2 of this county's major communities. And even though
fewer than half the 2,134 colonists he brought from Europe to
Texas actually settled on his concession lands, almost all of
them put down roots somewhere in Texas at a time when
settlers were desperately needed to populate its vast
undeveloped spaces.
Henri Castro began recruiting colonists in 1842 in his
native France. But he had scant success because the French
government was at the time itself vigorously recruiting
colonists to settle its African foothold, Algeria, and
overtly sabotaged Castro's efforts. Scant success, that is,
until his agents got to France's 2 easternmost departments,
Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin--better known as Alsace. There the
response was electrifying. For sheer wanderlust, the
Alsatians are unrivaled--even by the Irish! Though their
homeland is tiny, both in size and in population, you find
Alsatian emigres everywhere. It was they who made up the bulk
of Castro's colonists, though Germany's Saarland and Baden
contributed their fair share. The outnumbered Germans,
however, were no match for the ``Elsassers'' who quickly
established theirs as the dominant culture: language,
architecture, cuisine, traditions. This was especially true
in Castroville which, throughout the first 100 of its 150
years, was an Alsatian enclave. As a boy growing up here I
remember that when some unsuspecting family moved into town
from elsewhere they were immediately ostracized. Word quickly
got around in the village (in the language all villagers then
spoke): ``Sie sinnd Americawner!'') Strange, but the irony of
this never dawned on us: that here in this place in America,
Americans were the outsiders! Most everyone's first language
was the Alsatian dialect, not English. All that is now
changed. Despite the last ``Blackie'' Tschirhart's valiant
efforts to preserve the dialect, it's gone--except for a few
rapidly dwindling ``old timers''. The unique architecture of
the PCHs (Pioneer Castroville Houses) is the last visible
link with the culture which 150 years ago was transplanted
``lock, stock and barrel'' from Alsace to the southwest
Texas wilderness. Those original colonists were sturdy
stock--enduring hardships, privations, dangers beyond
belief. What magnificent witness they gave to that
mysterious spark in the human spirit which is ready,
whatever the cost, to leave the security of the status quo
to begin again.
Today's observance would not be complete without at least a
brief salute to the memory of Ferdinand Louis Huth,
Castroville's unsung hero, without whom the infant colony
would probably not have survived. Louis Huth was the hands-on
head of the colony during the first two and most crucial
years of its existence. Scarcely 2 months after Castroville's
founding Castro had to return to Europe to meet the growing
demands of his project. In a contract signed by both men,
Castro placed Louis Huth in sole charge of the infant colony
during his absence. Castro was unable to return to
Castroville until September, 1846, and during those 22
critical months Huth not only proved himself an able
administrator, as well as a compassionate and generous friend
of the struggling colonists, he also established the second
and third settlements (first and second on concession lands):
Quihi in March 1846 and Vandenburg in September 1846. The
Huth family's financial disputes with Castro led to Louis'
dismissal by Castro in November 1846. Nevertheless, until
Louis Huth moved his family to San Antonio in 1863, he was
not only a respected citizen of Castroville, he was
repeatedly elected to high public office in the newly-created
Medina County and was co-founder of Castroville's historic
Zion Lutheran Church.
There are many wonderful old Castroville stories. Let me
share just one with you. It is no secret that Castroville's
#1 industry during ``Prohibition'' (1918 to 1933) was
bootlegging: selling home-brew beer. It was not an uncommon
weekend sight to see beer flowing down the street where the
``Revenooers'' had sprung a surprise raid and smashed
hundreds of bottles of home-brew. (Raids were always on
weekends because that's when the bootleggers' patrons drove
out from San Antonio.) One Saturday ``Augueschty'' Tschirhart
was hosting a big poker party in his home, selling lots of
home-brew to the players and the crowd of kibitzers. Dozens
of cars were parked outside Augueschty's house--the telltale
sign the Revenuers looked for. Word reached the house that
the dreaded Revenooers were coming into town. Augueschty,
whose avocation was coachman to drive the hearse for the
town's funerals, got a bright idea. He hurried to the garage
next-door where the hearse was kept, hitched up the horses,
then parked the hearse in front of his house. When the
Revenuers reached that part of town, out of respect for
the dead, they passed up Augueschty's house. Two serious
crimes--public gambling and selling home-brew--went on
uninterrupted. Augueschty became a legend. (By the way,
this elegant old carriage-hearse now graces San Antonio's
Institute of Texan Cultures--one of its more prized
exhibits.)
The Second Texas Legislative created Medina County on
February 12, 1848, with Castroville as the County Seat. In
1880 the Southern Pacific was extending the railroad west
from San Antonio to California, but the citizens of
Castroville voted no on the $100,000 bonus demanded by the
company to route the line through town, so the Southern
Pacific chose a route several miles south of Castroville. The
town's commercial activity began a steady decline, while the
new town of Hondo, some 15 miles to the west and a regular
stop on the ``S-P'', prospered and grew. In August, 1892,
Medina County citizens voted to transfer the County Seat from
Castroville to Hondo. By-passed by progress, the old town
appeared to be dying on the vine. Around this time an
anonymous author wrote the following obituary: ``Castroville
is no more . . . she is defunct . . . the light of her
political life has gone out. . . The remains are now reposing
in state under the spreading boughs of her once-loved pecan
trees.'' (Quoted from Ruth Lawler's ``The Story of
Castroville''.)
Well, Castroville might have said with Mark Twain, ``The
reports of my death are premature''. From our vantage point
we now see that losing the railroad and the County Seat were
among the best things ever happened to our beloved old town.
Had ``progress'' won the day, Castroville would have grown
into just another stereotypical Texas town. The lovely old
Alsatian homes and public buildings would have been razed to
make room for more modern (and soulless) construction. What
makes Castroville unique in these 50 States would have been
lost forever.
I may well stand corrected, but I attribute Castroville's
rebirth to an outsider, an ``Amerikawner'', who came to
Castroville in 1927 but who refused to succumb to the usual
ostracism. Her name: Ruth Curry Lawler. This well-bred New
Orleans lady not only recognized the uniqueness of
Castroville but fell in love with it. It was she, in her
quiet but strong way, who convinced us that ``Alsatian is
beautiful''. She taught us not only to save but to savor our
precious heritage. She was the moving spirit behind the
founding, in 1975, of the Castro Colonies Heritage
Association, a co-sponsor of today' event, and the guarantor
that our unique heritage will now never be lost.
I close by using this bully pulpit to make 3
recommendations to the City of Castroville and to the Castro
Colonies Heritage Association. One: bring back the remains of
Henri Castro from Monterrey, Mexico, for re-interment here
where he belongs. Two: lobby the Texas Historical Commission
to erect here in our town an historical marker to Ferdinand
Louis Huth. Three: ditto for another to Ruth Curry Lawler.
____________________