TEXAS TROPICAL TRAIL REGION HERITAGE TOURISM PROGRAM

January 17, 2012 – Partner Event and Business Meeting – Zapata, Texas

You are cordially invited to attend Number Seventy-seven (77) in a series of monthly Partner Events, including Tours and Educational Presentations, celebrating the heritage of South Texas. This informative gathering of the Texas Tropical Trail Region Heritage Tourism Program will be held in Zapata, Zapata County, Texas on Tuesday, January 17, 2012. Please let me know if you will be joining us for lunch and your meal choice (see below).

Our visit to Zapata will take us to the new Zapata County Museum of History located on Highway 83 a block or so north of the Zapata County Courthouse and to The Seedeater Inn Bed & Breakfast. When Falcon Lake Dam and the 35-mile long lake behind it were created in 1954, several communities along both sides of the Rio Grande River were submerged including the original town site of Zapata.

Many of the buildings escaped destruction and were moved to the present day town site. The Seedeater Inn, originally the Volpe family home built in the late 19th century, was the last building to be moved out of old Zapata before it was flooded by the waters of Falcon Lake.

During our after-lunch educational programs, we will learn more about the displacement of homes and families when the original town site was flooded and also about today’s tourism industry, Falcon Lake and the important role it plays

Zapata County History

The day will begin at 10:00 am at the new, state-of-the-art Zapata County Museum of History, located at 805 Main Street/N US Highway 83. Museum Director and former Texas Tropical Trail board member Hildegardo Flores will be on hand to greet us.

In 1746, Don Jose de Escandon, Count of Sierra Gorda, was commissioned by the Viceroy of New Spain to command the exploration and settlement of a large land area known as Nuevo Santander. Present day Zapata County was a small part of that province. Escandon requested a fellow explorer, Captain Miguel de la Garza Falcon, to accompany him on this mission.

To attract settlers to this area, tracts of land (porciones) were granted to men and their families in order to form colonies. After many name changes, in 1898 the name of the largest community was permanently changed to Zapata in honor of Colonel Antonio Zapata, a local rancher and military man who became one of the leaders of the federalist movement to found the Republic of the Rio Grande, which began in 1839. The first headquarters of this movement was in Zapata County. Two military posts, Camp Drum and Camp Harney, were located at Zapata in the early 1850s to combat border disturbances and Indian attacks.

Texas proudly relates its history of having been under six flags – France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy and the United States. Zapata County and the surrounding area can add a seventh flag – that of the Republic of the Rio Grande.

Zapata boasts of being the “Home of Falcon Lake”, the largest fresh water lake in Texas. Falcon Lake was voted the number one fishing spot in Texas by the Bass Fishing Clubs. Falcon Lake’s 87,300 acres along the Rio Grande River entice men and women around the country to take part in the year-round fishing of black bass, white bass, crappie, stripers and monster-size catfish.

The Seedeater Inn

The Seedeater Inn is owned by Dr. Leticia M. Volpe and her husband John Williams of Weslaco. The Volpe family moved from Italy to the area around Mexico’s Guerrero Viejo in the late 1800s and became cattle ranchers. Eventually the family purchased additional lands across the Rio Grande and some of the family settled in Zapata County following the Mexican revolution of 1910.

The Seedeater Inn gets its name from a small, rare finch-like bird, the white-collared Seedeater that makes its home in and around Zapata County.

The home was originally built for Leticia’s grandmother near the end of the 19th century. With the creation of Falcon Lake in 1954, this historic family home was moved from the original town site to what is now modern Zapata. Today the completely renovated historic home is operated as a bed & breakfast. In keeping with the family’s continuing desire to create and preserve native habitat, the grounds have been planted with species indigenous to the area. Local birds and other native animals frequent the yard and use the various feeding stations.

Educational Programs

Our educational programs will be:

- History of Zapata/Displacement of Residents when Falcon Lake was created – Belinda Bravo, local historian and community leader

- Tourism Update and Falcon Lake’s Impact on Zapata Tourism – Paco Mendoza, Zapata County Chamber of Commerce

Our sponsors and hosts for this day will be the Zapata County Museum of History, the Seedeater Inn, the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce and the Steakhouse Restaurant.

Texas Tropical Trail Region Heritage Tourism Program

The Texas Tropical Trail Region (TTTR) heritage tourism program is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation developed in conjunction with the Texas Historical Commission and organized in February 2005 with an eleven-member volunteer Board of Directors, a salaried Executive Director and over 700 partners in tourism throughout the 20 county South Texas area known as the Texas Tropical Trail Region. The first public “partner” meeting was held in March 2005 at the La Posada Hotel in Laredo, Texas.

This Region covers over 23,000 square miles and is home to over 1.7 million people. Four sub-regions or Byways (the Gulf Coast Byway, the Rio Grande Byway, the Wild Horse Desert Byway and the Brush Country Byway) are located within the Region.

Kingsville is the home of the Texas Tropical Trail Regional office located in the Kingsville Chamber of Commerce office building at 635 E. King Avenue, Suite 102.

It is the intent of the Texas Tropical Trail Region Board of Directors to showcase the heritage, natural beauty and diverse culture of South Texas for the benefit and enjoyment of Texans and travelers. To achieve this goal, the Board must first join hands with our tourism partners, community leaders, and state and local entities to identify, preserve and interpret our natural, historical and cultural resources.

These monthly meetings/educational presentations are the workshops to help make this goal a reality. These meetings are open to the public, and you are urged to encourage folks in your city and county to join us.

Schedule of Events.

10:00 – 10:15 am – Welcome & Refreshments/Tour of Museum Grounds– Zapata County Museum of History – 805 Main Street/N. US Hwy 83

10:15 – 11:00 am – Guided Tour – Zapata County Museum of History – Dr. Hildegardo Flores, Museum Director

11:00 – 11:15 am – Drive to The Seedeater Inn – corner of 14th and Kennedy Streets

11:15 – 11:45 am– Tour – The Seedeater Inn

11:45 – 12 noon – Drive to The Steakhouse Restaurant – 111 S. US Hwy 83

12 noon – 1:00 pm – Lunch – Private Dining Room – The Steakhouse Restaurant

Menu Choice:

Mexican Plate including enchiladas and tacos

Or

Chicken Fried Steak with French fries and gravy

Cost per person will be $13 (including tax and gratuity)

Introductions and Community Updates – 12:45 pm

1:00– 1:30 pm – Educational Program – History of Zapata/Displacement of Residents when Falcon Lake was created – Belinda Bravo, local historian and community leader – The Steakhouse Restaurant

1:30 – 2:00 pm – Educational Program – Tourism Update and Falcon Lake’s Impact on Zapata Tourism – Paco Mendoza, Zapata County Chamber of Commerce – The Steakhouse Restaurant

2:00 – 3:30 pm –Business Meeting – Private Dining Room at the Steakhouse Restaurant (the public is welcome to attend)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

An RSVP is necessary so that we can be adequately prepared with seating arrangements and lunch.

Please respond to Nancy Deviney at nancydeviney@yahoo.com as soon as possible but no later than Friday, January 13, 2012.

Directions are available to the various sites.

We hope you will join us for this educational and informative day. No fees or membership are required. There will be a $13 charge, per person, (including tax and gratuity) for lunch.

Please feel free to share this invitation with your friends and colleagues but remind them that an RSVP is necessary.

Thank you.
Nancy Deviney
Chairman, Board of Directors, Texas Tropical Trail Region (www.texastropicaltrail.com) and (www.thetropicaltraveler.com)

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