La Salle County: Discover Architectural History and Nature Trails

La Salle County offers a variety of ways to plan your trip, from Cotulla’s architectural history and historic sites to nature trails in the Chaparral WMA. The stops below range from a distinctive courthouse to school and church history, as well as trail lengths and a regional history of onion growing.

Architecture and School History in Cotulla

The La Salle County Courthouse stands in the center of Cotulla, at its highest point, facing a city park or public square. The four-story building combines a concrete structure with a light brown brick façade and decorative terra-cotta elements. Its design marks the transition from the more heavily ornamented Art Deco style to Modernism, the preferred style of the 1930s. The building offers a way to trace both individual materials and a shift in architecture.

Another example is Welhausen School, a brick schoolhouse completed in 1926 and named after County Judge G. A. Welhausen. Its classically inspired floor plan consists of a central section and two lower wings, complemented by decorative tile panels. During the 1928–29 school year, Lyndon B. Johnson worked there as a teacher and principal. The building’s form, its name, and this dated episode link the schoolhouse’s history to Cotulla’s educational and local history.

First United Methodist Church of Cotulla was founded in 1881 as the town’s first Protestant church. Its present brick nave was built in 1906, during the tenure of Rev. Temple G. Woolls; an educational building was added in 1928. The dates provide a brief overview of several construction phases: the church’s founding was followed by the present nave and, later, an addition for educational purposes.

Early Local and County History

Fort Ewell was built in 1852 at Huajuco Crossing, where it guarded the important road between San Antonio and Laredo. When La Salle County was established in 1880, Fort Ewell was the county’s most important settlement. O. Henry also came there to collect his mail. These milestones illustrate different roles the place played: protecting an important road and serving as a significant site in the county’s early history.

The Cotulla Cemetery has marked graves dating to 1882. Many graves bear the year 1886, when La Salle County was affected by a smallpox epidemic. Those buried there include community leaders Joseph Cotulla and Rev. V. E. Covey, an early educator in Texas. The dates and names on the graves provide specific points of reference for local history and recall people who helped shape community life.

The site of Cotulla’s First School also tells a story of changes in education. After the first schoolhouse burned down when it was struck by lightning, a former home was moved to the site. Its porch was removed, a bell was added, and the building was then used as the next schoolhouse. County teachers’ institutes and summer normal schools were also held there. The site served the town’s white students until a new brick school was built on Tilden Street in 1908. This sequence records both the building’s development and the explicitly documented context of its use at the time.

Nature Trails and Regional History

In the Chaparral WMA, the Camino de Fiero Nature Trail is 2.5 miles long. The Arena Roja Nature Trail is fully accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This lets you compare two different planning details: the length of one trail and the stated accessibility of the other. Check current trail conditions before your visit.

The history of onion growing offers another perspective on the region. In 1898, two men planted Bermuda onion seeds locally and began selling sweet onions. This marked the start of a successful period of irrigated spring production that included La Salle County and neighboring counties and was associated with the Winter Garden Region. The story therefore extends beyond La Salle County and adds an agricultural context to the architectural and local history.

Discover more destinations: Cotulla, Van Zandt, Rusk, Wise, Shelby County, Henderson County, Burleson County, Mclennan.

For the main travel overview: Texas.