Historic Tales of Victoria, Texas

Two Centuries of Victoria’s History While Stephen F. Austin often receives sole credit as the founding father of the Lone Star State, there was another successful empresario, Don Martin De Leon, who established the only predominantly Mexican colony in the state. Founded on the Guadalupe River, Victoria’s rich heritage has often been set aside, just as the De Leon family itself endured an unjust period of exile after the success of a revolution they helped support. From the origin of the Street of Ten Friends and the advent of the streetcar to more recent triumphs and tragedies, Tamara Joy Diaz chronicles the influential figures and pivotal events of Victoria’s past.

Tamara Joy Diaz is a Global Honors graduate of the University of Washington-Tacoma, with a major degree in American studies, as well as a minor in public history. She earned her graduate degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Washington-Tacoma and is an award-winning Texas journalist. She resides in Kenedy, Texas, and is a history columnist for the Victoria Advocate.