85R19943 JGH-D
By: Guillen H.R. No. 1197
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Proud members of the Perez family and residents of
Starr County are gathering on April 1, 2017, for the dedication of
an Official Texas Historical Marker at Rancho San Jose de la Mulada;
and
WHEREAS, This historic South Texas ranch dates back to
December 1787, when Don Pedro Jose Perez, an early settler,
purchased Porcion 74 from Pedro Lugo, who had been granted the land
by the king of Spain in 1767; and
WHEREAS, Although some families lost their land after the end
of the Mexican American War in 1848, Santiago Perez, the son of Don
Pedro, was able to retain possession of Porcion 74, and by the
1870s, the property had come to be known as Rancho San Jose de la
Mulada; at that time, it was home to more than 30 residents who
lived in five houses and looked after the ranch's sheep, goats,
mules, and horses; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, the ranch was featured along with other
historic Tejano ranches in an exhibit at the LBJ Presidential
Library in Austin, and in 2006, members of the Perez family donated
priceless family artifacts from the ranch to the Museum of South
Texas History; among the items were a saddle, a rifle, and a
revolver that had belonged to Deputy U.S. Marshal Casimiro Perez
Alvarez, who was the great-great-grandson of Don Pedro Jose Perez;
and
WHEREAS, The ranch continues to be owned by direct
descendants of its founder, and one of them, Araceli Perez-Davis,
who is Don Pedro's great-great-great-great-granddaughter, has
turned an old adobe cabin on the property into a museum; it was also
Ms. Perez-Davis who petitioned the Texas Historical Commission for
a state marker in 2014; and
WHEREAS, For 230 years, Rancho San Jose de la Mulada has
contributed to the rich heritage of Starr County, and the ranch's
special role in the history of South Texas is truly deserving of
this special recognition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of an Official Texas
Historical Marker at Rancho San Jose de la Mulada and extend to the
Perez family and the members of the community sincere best wishes
for a meaningful and memorable event; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the Perez family as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.