Page 5 of Eleuterio Escobar's Autobiography Final Draft
Dublin Core
Title
Page 5 of Eleuterio Escobar's Autobiography Final Draft
Subject
Tejano History
Description
This image is the fifth page of Escobar's autobiography. This page documents Escobar's time living in the border region between 1915 and 1916. Escobar shares his observation's regarding the regions poverty and lack of access to education
Creator
Eleuterio Escobar
Source
LLILAS Benson Latin American Collection
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1958
Contributor
Eleuterio Escobar
Rights
This resource is made available by the LLILAS Benson Latin American Collection. Standard copyright restrictions apply.
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Still Image
Coverage
1906-1958
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
In the border territory it was very different. Almost all of
my customers in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo, San Diego, Falfurrias
at the Rio Grande Valley up to Brownsville were Mexican Americans,
Most of these cities, were from 3 to 5 miles apart with some exceptions. Shoe making whole lot less for their leather goods and labor saddle and boot manufacture sections. Of the states, event hough t hey were paying the same prices for raw materials.40 and 50 ents per hour.
Ferm, and ranch laborers were Betting anerowe Recourse almost-tadst them were Many of them crossed south of the border to buy great number of these laborers.
One of the poorest places was Rio Grande City, a border town
town was populated and run by Mexican Americans including
andcountry officials. The only things that were not nnn by them
were the army camps and the Americ,n Flag. From Rio Grande City to Roma City there are about 15 miles.Between these two cities
there is a little village kngwn as Escobar. This village was founded by some of my grandfathers close relatives over 100 years ago. The school in this village bears the name of to Roma often I used to stop there
I hot- iced that they still were conserving the traditional way
of living. the goats run loose oh the streets and the meat is humg to dry
on wire line. Roma is a little town facing south of the qwas border.
There a little port known as San Pedro then it was rema med Ciudad Miguel Aleman in memory of the late president Miguel Aleman of Mexico. Laredo was another tough place to do business. Wages were as
low as Rio Grande City and some other places, with the exception
of two establishment who had good locations and good crédit
to operate. The rest of the businesses were struggling to get by,
A number of little establishment, in order to compete were compelled
to go to Nuevo Laredo also to buy leather and some other items
and some way or somehow they managed to get them across. In spite of Ali including the two largest establishment. However Laredo is till known as one ofthe poorest border towns in the nation.
Cotulia in 1915 was a town of about two thousands inhabitants,
This town was is about 75 miles north from Laredo. The main industry
Mexican American that I can recall was a young man in his early twen-
ties working at a drug store fountain. Most everybody looked up to
him as a symbol of progress. By this time I had noticed that the greatest part of my customers would sign the list of merchandise with a dross mark. A great houses. Part of these families were compelled to sleep in the backyard on the ground. Sanitation problems were
a great threat to their health. Most of the children were not attending school at all, and the ones attending wer enot receiving an adequate education. The children in many places like Sabinal, Del Rio, Beeville, New Braun-feLs, Pearsall, and Cotulle, Texas, a little town where President Johnson taught in later years, were not receiving equal educational facilities and above this, they had them segrated. This action was an embarrassment and eternal agony for the children and their parents. In 1916 my good mother became very ill. I did all I could to save her. I brought her to San Antonio, Texas three times. when the
doctors informed me that. my mother would live only sixty more days,
it was the most painful moment that I had ever felt in my life. Just
to think every day and every night of what the doctors had told me
was an implacable agony. She passed way in 1916.
my customers in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo, San Diego, Falfurrias
at the Rio Grande Valley up to Brownsville were Mexican Americans,
Most of these cities, were from 3 to 5 miles apart with some exceptions. Shoe making whole lot less for their leather goods and labor saddle and boot manufacture sections. Of the states, event hough t hey were paying the same prices for raw materials.40 and 50 ents per hour.
Ferm, and ranch laborers were Betting anerowe Recourse almost-tadst them were Many of them crossed south of the border to buy great number of these laborers.
One of the poorest places was Rio Grande City, a border town
town was populated and run by Mexican Americans including
andcountry officials. The only things that were not nnn by them
were the army camps and the Americ,n Flag. From Rio Grande City to Roma City there are about 15 miles.Between these two cities
there is a little village kngwn as Escobar. This village was founded by some of my grandfathers close relatives over 100 years ago. The school in this village bears the name of to Roma often I used to stop there
I hot- iced that they still were conserving the traditional way
of living. the goats run loose oh the streets and the meat is humg to dry
on wire line. Roma is a little town facing south of the qwas border.
There a little port known as San Pedro then it was rema med Ciudad Miguel Aleman in memory of the late president Miguel Aleman of Mexico. Laredo was another tough place to do business. Wages were as
low as Rio Grande City and some other places, with the exception
of two establishment who had good locations and good crédit
to operate. The rest of the businesses were struggling to get by,
A number of little establishment, in order to compete were compelled
to go to Nuevo Laredo also to buy leather and some other items
and some way or somehow they managed to get them across. In spite of Ali including the two largest establishment. However Laredo is till known as one ofthe poorest border towns in the nation.
Cotulia in 1915 was a town of about two thousands inhabitants,
This town was is about 75 miles north from Laredo. The main industry
Mexican American that I can recall was a young man in his early twen-
ties working at a drug store fountain. Most everybody looked up to
him as a symbol of progress. By this time I had noticed that the greatest part of my customers would sign the list of merchandise with a dross mark. A great houses. Part of these families were compelled to sleep in the backyard on the ground. Sanitation problems were
a great threat to their health. Most of the children were not attending school at all, and the ones attending wer enot receiving an adequate education. The children in many places like Sabinal, Del Rio, Beeville, New Braun-feLs, Pearsall, and Cotulle, Texas, a little town where President Johnson taught in later years, were not receiving equal educational facilities and above this, they had them segrated. This action was an embarrassment and eternal agony for the children and their parents. In 1916 my good mother became very ill. I did all I could to save her. I brought her to San Antonio, Texas three times. when the
doctors informed me that. my mother would live only sixty more days,
it was the most painful moment that I had ever felt in my life. Just
to think every day and every night of what the doctors had told me
was an implacable agony. She passed way in 1916.
Citation
Eleuterio Escobar, “Page 5 of Eleuterio Escobar's Autobiography Final Draft,” Hidden Histories UT-Austin, accessed November 21, 2024, https://hiddenhistoriesut.org/items/show/341.
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