Cotulla

Cotulla, the county seat of La Salle County, is twenty-seven miles north of Encinal on U.S. Interstate Highway 35 in the northwestern part of the county. The town was named for Joseph Cotulla, a Polish immigrant. After learning that the International-Great Northern Railroad intended to extend its tracks into La Salle County in the early 1880s, Joseph Cotulla worked to build a town on the present site of Cotulla. In 1881 he provided 120 acres of land to induce the railroad to build into the county, and by 1882 a railroad depot had been built and lots in the new town had begun to be sold. By 1883 the town had been granted a post office, and several new buildings had been constructed, including a general store, a hotel, and a jail. In a special county election held that year Cotulla was designated the county seat, and the town began a period of rapid growth. By 1890 it had a population of 1,000, three general stores, two weekly newspapers, two churches, a saloon, a bank, a corn mill, and a cotton gin.

Cotulla developed a reputation as a rough place during its early years. According to one story, railroad conductors announced the town by calling out,"Cotulla! Everybody get your guns ready." Three sheriffs and nineteen residents are said to have lost their lives in gunfights in the town. Nevertheless, civilized institutions were also evolving; by 1885 Cotulla had a school enrolling 135 students, and by 1886 the town had a debating society that discussed such topics as "Should the education of a woman be co-equal of that of a man?" By 1892 Cotulla had a hotel, four general stores, three saloons, a meat market, two grocery stores, and daily stage service to supplement its railroad connection. School records for 1896 and 1906 show a separate school for fifteen black children.