The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 33, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 12, 1992 Page: 1 of 18
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Fhe Merce
nterprise
Mercedes, Tx. 78570 Wed., August 12,1992
Nighttime ticket sales planned
Registration is Monday
ably established much earlier. Today
ginia Zamora.
Bennett of Hidalgo County.
ranch. The land is nowfarmed com-
is coached by Mike Castillo, III.
As a freshman at Mercedes
High School this fall, she will
play on the MHS golf squad.
(Enterprise Photo 1
TOP RANKED AT NATIONALS —The Mercedes Parks and Recreation
"Beach Beauties” above placed first and were named National
Champions as a f ree-sty le dance team, when they twirled at national
contest to "Itsy-Bitsy, Teensy-Weensy, Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini.”
The team has consistently been ranked first throughout the year at
local, district and state level contests, says their instructor, Gloria
Saldana Hinojosa. Team members are, in front, April Juarez, left,
and Janelle Saldana, and in middle row from left, Melissa Ruiz,
Iliana Rodriguez and Rita Cano. In other competitive events including
presentation, royal court, parade strut, basic strut, military, solo
and dance twirling, a total of eight National Medals were earned by
Amanda Hernandez, back left, and Laura Saldana, back right, part
of the Mercedes Boys and Girls Club Twirlerette team, taught by
Mrs. Hinojosa, assisted by Janet Olivarez. Registration for a new
season of classes to be taught at the Boys and Girls Club is now
underway. Those wanting more information can call Norma at 565-
2774. (Enterprise Photo.)
sale hours, school officials report.
Though sales to last year’s ticket
holders have been brisk, plenty of seats
remain available, they add.
"Some people expected to get the
same seats they had last year,” says
Superintendent Monte Churchill, "but
that was impossible to arrange because
of the greater size and height of the
new stands — row and seat numbers
just don’t match up.
"We don’t think this is a problem,
though, since the reserved section is
three times larger than before,” he
adds. "And since spectators will be
both closer to the field and higher up,
the view is great from anywhere.”
He adds that officials hope there is
little frustration with the sale system,
and say that it is as fair as it could
possibly be.
Those wishing to view the stadium
can visit during regular business hours,
and an attempt will be made to open
the facility one night in coming days.
Sales to last year’s ticket holders
continue through 5 p.m. Friday at the
MHS ticket office, then open at 8 a.m.
Monday to the general public.
TAKES FIRST PLACE IN
TOURNAMENT — Patricia
Villalobos shows the trophy
she earned for taking first place
in the A-flight of the recent Mid-
Valley Golf Association Junior
Golf Program Tournament. The
tourney was the concluding
event in a three-week program
of golf instruction offered for
local youngsters by the
Mercedes-based golfing group.
The 15 year old is the daughter
Night sales will extend the hours
through 7 p.m. on Monday and
Tuesday, August 17 and 18, and until
8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19.
Price of the season ticket is $20.
sales for over a century encroached W.G. and J. Conly Bell of La Villa
into its boundaries. As a result, there purchased Los Burros Ranch in 1946. of Candida Villalobos, and she
SCHOOL BOARD INSPECTS NEW STANDS
—New stands at Tiger Football Stadium were
Inspected by school trustees recently and
accepted with few conditions. Trustees are
shown listening to school architect Tom
Ashley as he tells them he found virtually no
J on its eastern boundary, the Arroyo
| Colorado. The modern cities of
Harlingen and La Villa are located in
Ojo de Agua Grant.
Rosa Maria Hinojosa de Balli was
matriarch of the large and powerful
Hinojosa-Balli family which con-
trolled about one-third of the Rio
Grande Valley. As the widow of La
Feria grantee Captain Jose Maria Balli,
she was already in possession of her
husband’s 12-league La Feria (Sp.
fair) Grant, directly south of Ojo de
Agua.
The whole Ojo de Agua Tract was
owned, at the time of his death, by
Padre Jose Nicolas Balli (1777? -
1829), son of Rosa Maria Hinojosa de
Balli, and was bequeathed to the de-
scendants of his brother, Jose Maria
Balli Jr.
The heirs were Maria Josefa, Juan
Jose, Rosa Maria, Guadalupe, Maria
Concepcion, and the children of Fran-
cisco Balli and of Carmen Balli.
Commencing in 1831, the owners
or their assignees entered and took
possession of separate portions of the
In a court judgement dated 1935, mercially by Bell Brothers and no
Martin Hinojosa’s four daughters re- buildings remain.
[Editor’s Note—What follows
is one in a series describing
Mercedes area ranches and the
pioneer families thatsettled them.
The series is being compiled and
written by local historian Fran
Isbell, in conjunction with the
coming celebration of the
community’s 85th anniversary.]
Los Burros Ranch, one of the early
ranches in the vicinity of Mercedes,
was located about 2.3 miles north of
the present community of La Villa.
Much of its early history is described
in the Abstract of Title to Erigelman
Ranch Properties in Las Mestenas
Grant.
Los Burros (Sp. burros, i.e. don-
keys; sometimes Las Burras, jennies)
Ranch Cemetery is in the Ojo de Agua
part of Las Mestenas (Mustangs) Land
Grant of 23 leagues granted in 1798 by
the King of Spain to Lt. Vicente
Hinojosa, son of Captain Juan Jose
Hinojosa and Maria Antonia Inez Balli
Baez de Benavides of Reynosa.
Lt. Hinojosa promptly transferred
the south 12 leagues of La Mestenas
Grant to his sister Rosa Maria Hinojosa
de Balli (1757/58-1803), who had fi-
nanced the application, paying all costs
of survey and improvements. She re-
named it Ojo de Agua (Sp. eye of
water, i.e. spring), after a natural spring
BOOSTERS READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON — Mercedes
Athletic Booster Club officers and members above are all
ready for another season of Tiger football. Shown are, in front
from left, Isabel Trevino-Gonzalez, group treasurer; member
Ketta Quiroga; and member Hector Presas. In back in same
order are Antonio Echavarria, president; Jorge Castillo, vice
president and treasurer; and member Mary Cano. Members
not shown are Ismael Presas, Amado Garcia, Julia Garza and
Joe Garza. The group is now selling Tiger caps; more
information is found in a story on Page 5. (Enterprise Photo.)
problems with the construction. The new
stands triple the number of reserved seats
available and increase seating overall by one-
third, officials say. Total project cost was
some $268,000. (Enterprise Photo.)
Seatbelts, signs
still getting
PD's attention
i pbreaking the laws, you’ll
keep getting tickets. -
Mercedes police are
continuing to strictly enforce two
laws that local folks are having a
hard time following—the safety
belt law and the illegalplacement
of sepeeesnlenisusonlishtpoles.
up garage sale signs, even trough
it’s always clear who the violator
is,” says Police Chief Joe Flores.
dangerous to utility workers who
haveto climb the poles, the signs
aren’t being taken down after the
sale is over. They are a major
eyesore.”
Hepointsout that the violation
isaclass Cmisdemeanor, and that
the fine can range up to $200.
Folks are still getting tickets
for not using a seatbelt too, he
says.
Penalty for that infraction is
$70.
“We’dratherhave people put
their bells on than while them.
ticket.” he concludes, -but some
san haven’t gotten the message.”
Vol. 81 No. 33 Price 25c
Students in Mercedes public 17.
schools are reminded of coming Students will register at the campus
registration for the new school year. they. will attend, except for
First day of school is Thursday, kindergarten and pre-kindergarten
August 20, but mass registration is set students, who will sign up at Our Lady
across the district on Monday, August of Mercy Parish Hall on Indiana and
_ _ _ Fourth Street.
1 O D a A I . m High school sophomores are to sign
LUb DuTTOS nanon early up between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on
D Monday, while freshmen register
Ojo de Agua Tract, locating on their ceived the bulk of Los Burros Ranch, between 10 a.m. and noon. Juniors and
shares their houses, ranches, farms, Share No. 14 was adjudged to belong seniors were to have registered the
small pastures and other improve- to Frederick Luis Johnston (1871 - morning of August 12.
ments. Probably Los: Burros Ranch 1943) and Francisca Hinojosa High school students new to the
was founded at this time. It was on the Johnston, whom he had married in district sign up on Tuesday, August
Old Salt Road which went from El Sal 1896. It included Panchita (Little 18, not the incorrect date provided last
del Rey directly south to Rosario Ranch Frances) Ranch of 193.63 acres; 50 week by officials,
on the Rio Grande, and which had acres out of Los Burros Ranch, and One other registration event is
been used for over 400 years. It went another 10 acres out of the Johnston Lunch Application and FormDay, this
out of use around 1910. and Young subdivision. Friday, August 14. Taking place at the
Among Los Burros Ranch owners Johnston was a schoolteacher, no- MHS cafeteria, the period allows
before the turn of the century was tary public and postmaster at Panchita parents to complete migrant enrollment
Martin Hinojosa del Toro (1851 - Ranch 1897 - 1900. He served as a forms, register those children and apply
1892), who purchased one-half league goodwill ambassador to Mexico in the for free and reduced-price lunches.
(22,214 acres) from Justo Trevino of 1920 sby appointment of the gover- More information on that aspect of
Los Indios in Cameron County in 1878. nor. He established a school on the registration is available from Ignacio
(Trevino was a cousin of Jacinto ranch, and later taught in Mercedes. His Garcia at 565-3196 or Cindy Cardenas
Trevino, celebrated in a corrido for son, Frederick L. Johnston Jr. (1902 - a( 565-0244.
killing his brother’s murderer in 1911. 1981) served as a member of the -
Sales of season football tickets to
the general public get underway
Monday with a new twist—nighttime
Football
■
sign-up
nearing
Young Mercedes athletes are
reminded of the coming registration
sessions for the Youth Flag Football
League, says Director Jesse Trevino.
. Sign-up will run August 22 and 29,
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mercedes
Knights of Columbus Hall.
Eligible to play are boys who will
be in grades one through six when
school starts. There will be a cut-off
once a limit of 48 boys is reached in
each of the three divisions (made up of
first and second graders, third and
fourth graders, and fifth and sixth
graders).
Registration will be on a first-come,
first-served basis. A $10 fee must be
paid.
Commencing in the year 1886, and it is situated on a woody knoll in the
continuing until 1904, the owners and middle of a cotton field, east of Willacy
their assignees fenced off their hold- Main Canal.
ings in large pastures, and thus divided During land development in the
the Ojo de Agua Tract among them- early part of the' twentieth century,
selves. They erected houses, wells, surrounding land in the area was in-
windmills and other valuable improve- eluded in the Barr Subdivision, but
ments, and cleared, cultivated and con- Los Burros (275 acres), and adjacent
tinuously used for ranching and for Durazno (“Peach,” 368.1 acres), and
farming the lands within their hold- Panchita (363) Ranches were not sub-
ings,paid taxes and maintained fences, divided. In 1935, owners granted ease-
in the follwing years, the land was ments for development of public roads
further subdivided by sale, court judg- and the North Floodway through the
ment and partition. ranch.
Because Ojo de Agua was errone- In 1943, Francisca Johnston,
ously included in Las Mestenas tract widow, and Marcela’s daughter Irene
in a number of legal documents, land Solis sold their interest to J.C. Looney.
? Anniversary contest rules announced .
Early guidelines for essay, poster say, but an adult division is also through the schools. Students will be encouraged to decorate their
■ and storefront decoration contests have foreseen, divided into at least three age divisions, storefronts with historical themes, as
been announced by planners for the Themeof theessay shouldbe“Why with ribbons to be awarded to the top well. Prizes, it is told, will be tickets to
85th Anniversary Celebration.1 Love Mercedes.” three entries in each. the Anniversary ’ Barbecue on
The essay competition for Mercedes’ birthday will be the Top prize winners will also be September 19. Judging may take place
youngsters will be conducted through theme of the poster and door decorating recognized in The Enterprise. as early as September 10
local schools’ English classes, planners competition, also to be conducted Local store o wners are being The community’s 85 th anniversary
will be celebrated September 18 and
19 in events set at the Rio Grande
Valley Livestock Showgrounds.
The Enterprise will publish a
special section on pioneer families —
see notice on Page 2.
were legal problems of ownership, fi- At that time, Vicente Larios (1884
nally unravelled in 1935 by Judge Fred - 1955) lived in a frame house on the
Justo Trevino built the little church of Mercedes School Board and was ac-
Los Indios, keeping a flock of goats tive in community affairs. Fred Jr. was
handy to provide milk to bind the well known for his musical skills, play-
mortar). ing guitar, violin and piano.
Hinojosa married first Santos Share No. 20 went to Blasa
Trevino, and their children were Maria Hinojosa de Larios, wife of Vicente ,
de Jesus (married Manuel Hinojosa of Larios. It contained 10.30 acres out of
Relampago Ranch), Susana (married Los Burros Ranch. Their son, Robert
Jacinto Hinojosa), Juana (married Larios, lives in La Villa.
Gumecindo Solis), and Santos who Share 26 of 101.3 acres out of Los
married Isabel L. George. Burros Ranch went to Marcela
He was married second to Crisanta Hinojosa de Solis (Mrs. Alfonso Solis),
Solis of San Jose Ranch, and their to Juana Hinojosa Solis (Mrs.
children were Marcela (married Gumecindo Solis), and to Francisca
Alfonso Solis), Blasa (married Vicente Hinojosa Johnston, wife of Fred L.
Larios) and Francisca (1878-1953, Johnston.
Mrs. Frederick L. Johnston). In 1892, The ranch cemetery was in exist-
they adopted Pablo, who married Vir- ence certainly by 1892, but was prob-
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 33, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 12, 1992, newspaper, August 12, 1992; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1614184/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.