by Ramiro Guzman | Jun 13, 2025
Val Verde Winery Known as Texas’ oldest bonded winery; only survivor of about 25 once operated in the state. Founded by Frank Qualia, who came in 1882 to Del Rio (then a town of 200) from Milan, Italy. In 1883 he married Mary Frank. Their children were John,...
by Ramiro Guzman | Jun 13, 2025
Val Verde County Courthouse Square Organized in 1885 from sections of Crockett, Kinney, and Pecos Counties, Val Verde County was named for a Civil War battle in New Mexico which involved Texas Confederate forces. The growing railroad town of Del Rio was chosen as the...
by Ramiro Guzman | Jun 13, 2025
U.S. Army Camel Corp U. S. Army Camel Corps The proposal to use camels for commerce and transportation in the arid southwest came about in the 1830s, but it was under U. S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis that the idea became a reality. The first shipment of camels...
by Ramiro Guzman | Jun 13, 2025
Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers’ Association The Edwards Plateau area of southwest Texas has long been associated with the sheep and goat industries of the state. Both sheep and goats were significant elements of the local economy, having been introduced to Texas...
by Ramiro Guzman | Jun 13, 2025
Taylor – Rivers House James H. Taylor (d. 1876), one of the five founders of Del Rio, and his wife Paula (Losoya) (d.1902), a native of Mexico, moved here from Uvalde about 1870 and built this one-story adobe residence. A prominent landowner and merchant, Taylor...
