Near Port Lavaca in Calhoun County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Don Martin de Leon

Photographed By James Hulse, August 30, 2021

1. Don Martin de Leon Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

After independence from Spain, Mexico utilized the Empresario System to settle the province of Texas with loyal citizens. Seeing his opportunity, Don Martin de Leon applied on April 8, 1824, to the provincial delegation of San Fernando de Bexar for an Empresario Grant. Just five days later, he received his grant which, of all Texas Empresarios, was second only to Stephen F. Austin's in terms of success and helped carve the central Texas gulf coast out of the wilderness.

Don Martin de Leon was born in Cruillas, Nuevo Santander (modern-day Tamaulipas), Nueva Espana. Around 1790, he joined the military and reached the rank of captain. In 1795, he married Dona Patricia de la Garza. Between 1798 and 1801, the family moved to Texas and established the Rancho Santa Margarita near present-day San Patricio. The family experienced many difficult times during an arduous political era in Texas, even leaving the rancho to escape upheaval from the war for independence from Spain. He returned to Texas in 1814 and settled closer to La Bahia.

In 1824, his petition for an empresario grant was approved and he established Guadalupe Victoria

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which included people from a range of nationalities. In 1831 his colony was expanded to include most of modern Calhoun County west of Matagorda Bay. A port was established near present-day Port Lavaca on Lavaca Bay which provided the colony crucial access to trade and supplies, and established the area as a viable shipping link to future generations. Don Martin de Leon died in a cholera epidemic that swept the U.S. He is remembered as a pioneer in the settlement of the Texas gulf coast.

Erected 2013 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17511.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Hispanic Americans • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is April 8, 1824.

Location. 28° 41.632′ N, 96° 39.734′ W. Marker is near Port Lavaca, Texas, in Calhoun County. Marker can be reached from Park Road ,, 1.7 miles east of Lake Placedo Road. The marker is located at the front of the fishing pier in Six Mile Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Lavaca TX 77979, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Six Mile-Royal Community (approx. 1½ miles away); Six Mile Presbyterian Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); Six Mile Cemetery (approx. 1.8 miles away); Springs of Calhoun County (approx. 2

The Don Martin de Leon Marker in front of the fishing pier image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 30, 2021

2. The Don Martin de Leon Marker in front of the fishing pier

miles away); Site of the Town of Linnville (approx. 3.2 miles away); Port Lavaca Chapter No. 373 Order of the Eastern Star (approx. 3.2 miles away); Lavaca Lodge No. 36, A.F.& A.M. (approx. 3.2 miles away); Salem Lutheran Church (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Lavaca.

Also see . . . De Leon, Martin (1765–1833).

Mexican independence from Spain brought a more open colonization policy. On April 8, 1824, De León petitioned the provincial delegation at San Fernando de Béxar to settle forty-one Mexican families on the lower Guadalupe and founded the town of Nuestra Señora Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria. The colonization grant was approved on April 13. Patricia De León contributed $9,800 and cows, horses, and mules valued at $300, which she inherited from her father. De León's colony was the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas, and as a Mexican citizen the empresario received legal preference in the numerous border disputes with American settlements encircling Guadalupe Victoria. Source: The Handbook of Texas

(Submitted on September 6, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Don Martin de Leon Marker from the parking lot of the park image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 30, 2021

3. The view of the Don Martin de Leon Marker from the parking lot of the park

Don Martin de Leon image. Click for full size.

Public Domain, circa 1820

4. Don Martin de Leon

Credits. This page was last revised on September 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 306 times since then and 181 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 6, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.