VISITORS GUIDE: DEWITT COUNTY
DeWitt Colony
In April 1825 Empresario Green DeWitt was authorized by the Mexican government to settle 400 families between the Guadalupe and Lavaca Rivers. Thirty nine of the grants were located in what is now DeWitt County, almost all on farms along the Guadalupe River. Many of these colonists were involved in the battle of Gonzales, the siege of Bexar, the battle of the Alamo, the Goliad Massacre, and the battle of San Jacinto. The grave site of James L. Allen, "the last courier from the Alamo," is marked prominently in the Allen Family Cemetery on Morris Community Road near Yoakum, off Highway 77A.
German and Alsatian
Between 1843 and the Civil War, thousands of German immigrants were brought to the port of Indianola by Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels who promised them land grants in the Texas Hill country. The project was a disaster, and many decided to remain at Meyersville, Yorktown, Arneckeville and Lateiner (later Five Mile) rather than continue to New Braunfels or Fredericksburg. The Old Stone Church built in 1866 at Meyersville has a small exhibit of religious artifacts. Homes moved from Indianola after the 1875 and 1886 hurricanes are among many fine historic homes featured in the Indianola Trail Tour Guide available from the Cuero Chamber of Commerce and the DeWitt County Historical Museum.
German influence on the county can also be seen by the German Turn and Schuetzen Verein dance halls at Garfield, Nordheim, Gruenau, Lindenau and Turner Hall at Hochheim. Feasts are held in Nordheim in May, at Garfield and Lindenau in September and at Gruenau in October. The Yorktown and Nordheim museums have wonderful collections of old German band instruments, including a piano (Yorktown) that survived the 1875 hurricane that devastated Indianola. The Hoch home at Hochheim was used as an inn and stage stop on the Old Indianola Trail.
Ranching Heritage
Confederates returning home after the Civil War drove cattle by the thousands up the Chisholm Trail through Oklahoma to deliver them to railheads in Kansas. Ranching is still a large part of DeWitt County's heritage. The Tod Slone Saddle Factory in Cuero hand tools trophy saddles custom fitted to the rider and horse. There are eight leather good manufacturing plants at Yoakum, Double D Ranch Wear and Tandy Brands have outlet stores. The leather room at the Yoakum Heritage Museum is a "must see."
Natural Attractions
More than 1,000 species of wildflowers have been identified in DeWitt County, so many that the county celebrates the entire month of April as "Wildflower Month." Volunteers scout the county each day for specimens displayed at the DeWitt County Historical Museum, labeled with their common and botanical names. Maps show where the best wildflowers are to be seen. Join a "Yellow Bus Excursion" with a wildflower guide the first Saturday in April. Phone to make your reservation early! Information is also available on the web site: http://www.dewittwildflowers.org/.
Cuero Municipal Park is No. 28 on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. Maps are available at the Cuero Chamber of Commerce.
Other
A Turkey Trot and Turkeyfest exhibit can be seen at the Cuero Heritage Museum... The DeWitt County Historical Museum, formerly known as the Bates-Sheppard house, includes a dog-trot log cabin behind the museum. Virtual tours are available at http://www.cuero.org/ or phone for information... Christmas tree village at Yoakum Heritage Museum... antique shops in Cuero, Yorktown and Yoakum... Lighting displays at "Christmas in the Park," Cuero.
