COTULLA IN A BIGGER STORY
Every street has a story.
Schoolrooms, ranch families, railroad roots, and the stories told across generations.
Ben’s Western Wear & the Texas Hat Museum
The people, the hats, and the shop that dressed generations of brush-country life.
Read the story →A HOMETOWN INSTITUTIONT. R. Keck & Sons
Two brothers, a lumberyard, and a family business rooted in Cotulla since 1893.
Read the story →A HOMETOWN TRADITIONWild Hog Weekend.
Cooking camps, county pride, and a fair that brings generations together.
Explore the fair →CHAPTER 01La Salle County Courthouse
A closer look at Cotulla’s 1931 courthouse, its architecture, and its restoration.
Read the story →CHAPTER 02Welhausen School & Lyndon B. Johnson
The Mexican American students, school, and community that shaped a young Lyndon Johnson.
Read the story →CHAPTER 03Jeff Bezos & his grandfather’s ranch
Childhood summers, ranch work, and lessons from Lawrence Preston “Pop” Gise.
Read the story →CHAPTER 04How Cotulla became Cotulla
Joseph Cotulla, a railroad, and two towns competing for a future.
Read the story →CHAPTER 05Trains, onions, and changing times
Follow Cotulla’s railroad, Winter Garden agriculture, and changing economy.
Read the story →CHAPTER 06Cotulla remembers
The cemetery’s record of families, loss, and the community’s history.
Read the story →CHAPTER 07Cotulla legends & lore
Two Josephs, a coin toss, a train conductor, and tales from the storytelling porch.
Read the story →Turn the pages of old Cotulla
Livestock shows, school news, storefront advertisements, and everyday life: explore Cotulla through its newspapers. UNT’s Portal to Texas History and Alexander Memorial Library provide access to more than 2,500 digitized issues of The Cotulla Record, with holdings from 1909 to 1991 and gaps between some years.
Browse The Cotulla Record ↗ · Explore all Cotulla newspaper titles ↗A LITTLE COTULLA TRIVIA
Three familiar faces.
One town in common.
In a 2010 Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine story, Bill Cotulla challenged dinner guests to name three men with Cotulla connections who had appeared on Time’s cover.
Reveal the three names
- Lyndon B. JohnsonThe Welhausen teacher who became president. Read his Cotulla chapter ↓
- Edward M. HouseAn adviser to President Woodrow Wilson whose family held land in La Salle County.
- Jeff BezosThe Amazon founder who spent childhood summers on his grandparents’ ranch. Explore the family connection ↓
CONTINUE THE STORY
Plaza Florita.
Meet Florence Chiles Maltsberger and explore the gathering place beside Welhausen School.
Explore the plaza →