Established in 1847 by 29 families under the leadership of Theodore Gentilz, representing Henri Castro (1781...1861), distinguished pioneer and colonizer of Texas who introduced the early settlers of Medina County. Named in honor of . . . — — Map (db m155969) HM
Texas land empresario Henri Castro contracted to bring colonists of various European nationalities to Texas beginning in 1842. The first of these were Alsatians, most of whom spoke German and held German sympathies. They arrived at Galveston, their . . . — — Map (db m181211) HM
By 1531 Spain ruled present Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, half of South America, and much of the United States. The desire to claim new lands north of the Rio Grande led to continuous Spanish expeditions through present Texas during the . . . — — Map (db m130162) HM
Castroville was founded by Empresario Henri Castro in 1844. By the mid-1840s, immigrants, many from the Alsatian region in Europe, began to settle here. The unique Alsatian culture was recreated in the countryside of Medina County and largely . . . — — Map (db m193017) HM
Located on County Road No. 545, the Biry Bridge spans the Hondo Creek. Constructed out of steel and wood, the bridge is composed of two spans of 180 feet and 100 feet. The bridge was completed on January 15, 1921, by the Alamo Construction Company . . . — — Map (db m202892) HM
Medina Lake was constructed in 1912 as an irrigation reservoir. Its 26-mile gravity-flow canal system delivers water to 34,000 acres of farmland via earthen canals. Wooden trestles and flumes, like the one in the photo below, used to carry water . . . — — Map (db m193086) HM
Captain Heinrich Joseph Richarz established this cemetery in 1905. A native of Prussia, he and his family arrived in Texas in 1850. After a brief stay in Bexar County, the family moved to Fort Lincoln, residing for a time in quarters once occupied . . . — — Map (db m221512) HM
At the beginning of World War II, on March 31, 1942, the United States War Department authorized the construction of an Air Force Training School at Hondo to cost in excess of five million dollars. H.B. Zachry construction company was given 100 days . . . — — Map (db m222969) HM
As the U.S. prepared to enter World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt requested annual production of 50,000 aircraft and training for thousands of pilots and navigators. For many months, the Army Air Corps struggled to train sufficient numbers of . . . — — Map (db m193785) HM
Natalia District No. 9, situated in the extreme southeast part of Medina County, was established in 1912 by consolidating several rural districts, which were owned by the San Antonio Suburban Irrigation District. The district encompassed 150,000 . . . — — Map (db m259936) HM
Early Castroville colonist and Dutch immigrant Marie Becker Ihnken was buried just north of this site in 1847 by her son, Gerhard. The German born Gerhard married Marie Jeanne Pichot on October 22, 1846. The Pichot family arrived on the first of . . . — — Map (db m193054) HM
The history of Natalia is inseparably linked with the history of the Medina Valley Irrigation Company Project now known as the Bexar, Medina, Atascosa Water Control and Improvement District No 1. Natalia, named after the daughter of Dr. Fred S. . . . — — Map (db m193102) HM
Born in Neufreystadt, Baden, Louis Huth Jr. first met Henri Castro in Paris in 1842 and became an important figure in the establishment of Castro's Colony in Texas. Huth's father, Ludwig, provided much of the funding for immigrant supplies and . . . — — Map (db m193024) HM
Thin black lines indicate changes in relevance. Between each pair of lines entries are ordered geographically but all have the same relevance.
* Inflectional forms of words are their plurals, singulars, and possessives as well as gramatical tenses and similar variations.
