Brooks County, Texas
Brooks County, is centrally located in the South Texas Triangle, which is formed by the Rio Grande River, the Nueces River, and the Gulf of Mexico. It has a total area of 603,993 acres or approximately, 944 square miles in size. Communities in Brooks County include, Encino, Rachel, Tacubaya, La Mesa, Lucero, La Paritta, Los Olmos and Las Cuatas. Brooks County was established in March 1911 and organized in September of the same year. The county was formed from parts of Starr, Hidalgo, and Zapata counties and originally was or approximately twice its present size. The rest of the original county is now part of Jim Hogg County. Brooks County was named after Captain J.A. Brooks, the famous Texas Ranger who served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Many years ago a young Lipan Indian brave is supposed to have stood gazing across the open country in what is now Brooks County, Texas and muttered “falfurrias,” which means “The Land of Hearts Delight.” Ranching dates back as far as the 1840s, and the Beefmaster breed of cattle was established here. Dairying began when the town’s founder, Ed Lasater, divided 60,000 acres of ranch land into small dairy farms in the early 1900s. To provide an outlet for the diary products, Lasater constructed the Falfurrias Creamery, still famous for its “Sweet Cream Butter.” The area is a sportsman’s paradise – game include deer, turkey, javelina and many types of birds and it’s just a short drive to some of the best fishing on the Texas coast. The Ed Rachal Memorial Library in Falfurrias is considered one of the best small public libraries in Texas, with its book collection exceeding 56,000 volumes, including an outstanding genealogy collection. Falfurrias likes to tell the tale of Don Pedrito, an old Mexican faith healer born in Jalisco, Mexico. He is said to have been cured through faith, then given the gift of healing in a vision. He came to Los Olmos Ranch in 1881, and for 25 years thousands of people came to be cured. Free of cost, but whatever was given voluntarily he often gave to the poor. A Texas Historical Maker attests to his fame, and the Don Pedrito Shrine is visited by thousands of people each year.
