Los_Ojuelos
Los Ojuelos, Texas
Ghost town in Texas, United States
Los Ojuelos[3] is a ghost town near Mirando City in the southeastern part of Webb County, Texas, United States. Before its establishment, Indians camped near the only dependable water source in the semiarid area. The local springs attracted Eugenio Gutiérrez in 1810 and attempted to settle in the area. Frequent Indian attacks forced Gutiérrez to abandon the site. in 1835, Eugenio's son returned to the site and tried to resettle the area but Indian attacks drove him back. In 1850, a company of Texas Rangers were stationed on the site to protect the trade route Laredo - Corpus Christi. In 1857, José María Guerra, grandson of Eugenio Gutiérrez and an ancestor of Laredo businessman Joe A. Guerra, built an irrigation system and a wall around Los Ojuelos to protect from Indian attacks.
By 1860, Los Ojuelos' population grew to 400. In 1855, the Texas-Mexican railroad bypassed the town by a few miles. As of 1904, the population had declined to 174. In 1920, oil was found nearby, but Mirando City was established. The oil boom helped Los Ojuelos grow, but in 1950 drilling for oil stopped. Today, Los Ojuelos remains a ghost town.
