History

Edward C. Lasater, pioneer Rio Grande valley rancher and land developer, who started a cattle ranch in what was then northern Starr County; his spread came to be known as Falfurrias Ranch, after La Mota de Falfurrias, the grove of trees he chose as the site of his headquarters. Image from Texas Tropical Trail.

A post office under that name began operation in 1898. Image from youhavewatermail.blogspot.com.

To increase settlement in the area Lasater encouraged the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway to extend a line to his ranch. At the railway terminus four miles east of his ranch house he founded Falfurrias; he also changed the name of his ranch to La Mota. His Falfurrias Immigration Company set about attracting settlers by offering subdivided ranch land near the railroad at low prices and advertising extensively in the East and Midwest. Image from UTSA Digital Collections.

The Falfurrias Facts began publication in 1906. Image from UNT Libraries.

Lasater established a creamery operation in 1909; he imported purebred Jersey dairy cattle to his ranch and eventually built what was said to be the largest Jersey herd in the world. Falfurrias butter is renowned. Image from Texas Standard.

In 1911 the state granted a petition by local residents to form a new county, with Falfurrias as the county seat. Image from Texas Escapes.

Irrigation, introduced during the late 1920s, brought in truck farming and the citrus fruit industry, with Falfurrias as the shipping center. Image from The Portal to Texas History.

The discovery of extensive oil and gas reserves around Falfurrias in the 1930s and 1940s added a new dimension to the town’s growth and prosperity. Image from The Portal to Texas History.