Dimmit: Chaparral Landscape and History

Chaparral Landscape and Nature Experience

The Chaparral Wildlife Management Area covers 15,200 acres of brushland in La Salle and Dimmit Counties in southern Texas. The Arena Rojo Nature Trail, a half-mile wheelchair-accessible nature trail, is located at the area headquarters.

General public use of the area is permitted continuously each spring and summer, from April 1 through August 31. Before visiting, check the current terms of use and restrictions with TPWD, including the trail access requirements.

Architecture and Historic Memorial Sites

The Dimmit County Courthouse brings together several construction phases. It was originally built in 1884 by Bredding and Sons in the Italianate style. In 1926, it was enclosed by a Classical Revival-style building designed by Henry T. Phelps. During restoration, original plaster ceilings, cornices, and upper window sashes featuring a St. John’s cross design were uncovered. Alongside the building’s exterior history, these restored details are among its defining architectural features.

Bel-Asher offers a different emphasis: San Antonio architect Alfred Giles designed the building, which was built in 1910. Native sandstone and widely projecting eaves characterize its construction. The Catarina Hotel was designed and built in 1925–1926 by C.H. Kearny and Lee Peters in the Spanish Eclectic style; it recalls the city’s boom era.

The history of church, family, and remembrance is also reflected in specific places. First Baptist Church was the first church built by Texas Baptists west of the Nueces River. Burleson Cemetery is the final resting place of the Burleson family. The Richardson, Asher and Mary Isabelle House is listed on the National Register.

Historic Routes and Local History

The El Camino Real de los Tejas once ran through Dimmit County, connecting places such as Carrizo Springs with San Antonio, Laredo, and other settlements in Texas. In this historical context, the focus is not on a single building, but on the connections between multiple places and settlements.

Espantosa Lake lay along the earliest route between Texas and Coahuila and was the best-known campground on the Presidio Road. The lake is therefore associated with two aspects of history: its location along an early route and its role as a campground along the Presidio Road. The Wade House Museum presents the Indigenous history of Dimmit County through a collection of artifacts spanning centuries.

In Carrizo Springs, the Carrizo Springs Swimming Pool is located at 405 N. 7th Street. Veterans Park is at 405 E. Alamo St. Both addresses provide specific points of reference for getting around Carrizo Springs. Asherton’s development is also historically linked to a railway: Richardson developed the town by bringing the Asherton and Gulf Railway Co. through it in 1905.

Explore more destinations: Carrizo Springs, Asherton, Hockley County, Starr, Jim Wells, Donley County, Stonewall County and Lamb.

Go to the main travel overview: Texas.