Catarina, Dimmit County
Begun in the 1870s by Thomas Kearney (1810 - 1896) and James A. Carr (d. 1894), this became one of the area's largest ranches, comprising 84,600 acres in Dimmit and Webb counties. After Kearney sold his half interest in 1884, Carr retained the western half of the ranch, which became known as Valenzuela. In 1894 Carr sold his ranch to Edward Kotula (1844 - 1907), a San Antonio merchant and important South Texas rancher. The Hispanic-inspired architecture of the house features a thatched roof, stepped buttresses, and stuccoed sandstone walls. RTHL - 1987