Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
La Recluta y La Escuelita
Rockdale - US 79
0.7 mile east of intersection of
US 77 & US 79
0.7 mile east of intersection of
US 77 & US 79
La Recluta and La Escuelita
Jose Leal received six leagues of land in this area in 1833. In 1867 coal was discovered, and the railroad reached Rockdale in 1874. Not until 1890 did the first coal mine, owned by Herman Vogel, begin operation. Others opened and more settlers came looking for work.
Many workers came from Mexico, leaving behind a Revolution. These immigrants settled on land owned by E.A. Camp. They sharecropped, growing enough for themselves, and worked in the mines. They named their settlement, just north of the International-Great Northern Railroad tracks La Recluta, or "recruitment". Family names represented here include Ruiz, Flores, Casarez, Zapata, Aldama, Montoya and Lumbreras. The men, like so many other industry workers at the time, received their pay in tokens, which were redeemable only for mine commissary purchases and doctor visits.
Several men were trapped in an International Mine Company cave-in in 1913. Eight men and one mule awaited rescue for six days. One man did not survive. Yards away from the collapsed mine entrance is La Escuelita, the small schoolhouse built for the children of the community. Classes were taught in English, although most students spoke Spanish at home. As part of the Talbott Ridge School District, the students transferred to Rockdale schools in 1944 when the Districts consolidated. In 1946 Rockdale merchants donated benches to La Escuelita building. In 1953 the school was deeded to the St. Joseph's Cemetery Association, the support group for the community's cemetery, where nearly 300 gravestones tell the stories of La Recluta's families, many of whom remain in the area.
Jose Leal received six leagues of land in this area in 1833. In 1867 coal was discovered, and the railroad reached Rockdale in 1874. Not until 1890 did the first coal mine, owned by Herman Vogel, begin operation. Others opened and more settlers came looking for work.
Many workers came from Mexico, leaving behind a Revolution. These immigrants settled on land owned by E.A. Camp. They sharecropped, growing enough for themselves, and worked in the mines. They named their settlement, just north of the International-Great Northern Railroad tracks La Recluta, or "recruitment". Family names represented here include Ruiz, Flores, Casarez, Zapata, Aldama, Montoya and Lumbreras. The men, like so many other industry workers at the time, received their pay in tokens, which were redeemable only for mine commissary purchases and doctor visits.
Several men were trapped in an International Mine Company cave-in in 1913. Eight men and one mule awaited rescue for six days. One man did not survive. Yards away from the collapsed mine entrance is La Escuelita, the small schoolhouse built for the children of the community. Classes were taught in English, although most students spoke Spanish at home. As part of the Talbott Ridge School District, the students transferred to Rockdale schools in 1944 when the Districts consolidated. In 1946 Rockdale merchants donated benches to La Escuelita building. In 1953 the school was deeded to the St. Joseph's Cemetery Association, the support group for the community's cemetery, where nearly 300 gravestones tell the stories of La Recluta's families, many of whom remain in the area.
View of La Escuelita from US 79.
.
After 1946, La Escuelita sat vacant. F.L. "Chano" Zapata and his son, John maintained the property. Their vision led the Cemetery Association to pursue a permanent plan for the area.