People have lived in this country for about 11,000 years, and the historic-era peoples were Coahuiltecan. The town came much later. Edward C. Lasater arrived in the early 1890s, built his ranch headquarters by 1895 and gathered more than 350,000 acres. In 1904 he persuaded the railway to run a line to his ranch, founded Falfurrias at the terminus and sold off parts of the land to farmers. In 1909 he opened a creamery and imported purebred Jerseys, and his herd was said to be the largest in the world.
Lasater also helped create Brooks County in 1911, with Falfurrias as its seat. When Jim Hogg County was cut away in 1913, its residents said they wanted to escape his dominance. The museum collects the frontier life around him in pioneer objects: saddles, cattle brands, early hats, antique appliances, a chuckwagon replica and a Victorian phonograph.
The Texas Ranger Room holds original guns, uniforms and about 100 pairs of boots worn by Rangers, because Falfurrias was an area headquarters for Company D. The Carol Dryden Collection is about 99,000 photo negatives of Falfurrias, Premont, Encino, Benavides and Hebbronville, which visitors can view and reprint for a small fee. Don Pedrito Jaramillo is among the Brooks County Legends exhibits. Admission is free and the museum runs on donations and city support.
The closest stops worth working into your route
Roadside plaques and monuments within a short detour