Taming the Wild Horse Desert


The stone houses of the Wild Horse Desert, the region between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande in South Texas, are an underrepresented part of American frontier heritage. Originally settled in the mid-18th century, the area’s material culture is imperiled, but our understanding of built environment can be enhanced through the investigation of the family networks that were critical to the co-development of society and landscape, and which can also shed light on contemporary borderland issues.

Conference Presentations
"In search of 18th century town and ranch life in South Texas". Vernacular Architecture Forum Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, May 21, 2022.






©Marie Saldaña 2023