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Atascosa County (Images of America)

·19 min·1 clip

Martin Gonzalez shares a photo of the 1933 Poteet fire that burned the entire town down, revealing a forgotten disaster.

This episode features an interview with Martin Gonzalez, chairman of the Atascosa County Historical Commission and author of "Atascosa County (Images of America)." The host speaks with Gonzalez about his work documenting the local history of this Texas county, which considers itself the birthplace of the cowboy. Gonzalez explains the book project began when Arcadia Publishing reached out to the Pleasanton museum. The project started in December 2019 but was paused for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gonzalez and his team gathered material by visiting communities, churches, and public places like the Pleasanton First Baptist Church and the Poteet Grange. They collected over 200 photographs from local donors, writing 40 to 75-word narratives for each, with only four submissions declined by the publisher. A key challenge was the uneven community response, with some events drawing crowds and others attracting no one. Gonzalez emphasizes the importance of community involvement for such projects to succeed. He shares that the last major county history publication was a rare leather-bound book from 1984, now selling for around a thousand dollars online. A surprising discovery for Gonzalez was seeing photographs of the devastating 1933-34 Poteet fire, which he had only heard described by older residents. Another was learning about St. Matthew's Church, rebuilt twice since 1912 on the same site with a congregation of descendants. Enlarging small historical photos revealed new details, like horse rings outside courthouses and background figures. A particularly compelling set of images shows the same view of the Jourdanton bank in 1901 and 1910, with the latter capturing the skeleton of the new courthouse under construction. Gonzalez connects local history to broader events, noting Atascosa County's role in supplying cattle to the American Revolutionary War. The county recently received one of only two Texas markers for the America 250 celebration from the Daughters of the American Revolution. He also discusses an upcoming Texas Ranger cross marker for John Campbell, a ranger whose son founded the town of Jourdanton. Gonzalez believes preserving history ensures communities remember their past to navigate the future. He finds engagement increases when people discover personal connections, like ancestral links to Texas Revolution figures. To involve younger generations, he is starting presentations in schools and recruiting younger members to the Historical Commission. His strategy pairs the knowledge of long-time commissioners with the energy and new ideas of younger volunteers like a UTSA student researcher. The tone is conversational and educational, focused on local history preservation and community stories. The style is an interview, with the host prompting Gonzalez to share specific anecdotes and details from his research. Listeners interested in Texas history, genealogy, local archival work, or community storytelling would enjoy this episode. Those seeking high-drama narratives or broad historical analysis might find it too niche.

As heard by us

A county history discussion that shows how enlarged old photographs can surface overlooked detail.

Martin Gonzalez frames the Atascosa County book as a practical act of preservation: Arcadia reached out, the museum in Pleasanton and the historical commission agreed to take it on, and the effort was meant to keep the county record current as the story keeps changing.

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Press play for local history that feels personal, visual, and lived-in.

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