Homero Vera shares the true, dramatic story of his great-grandfather, vaquero Eleno Salinas. In the late 1800s, Eleno unknowingly takes a job with a gang of rustlers in South Texas. When his sharp eye recognizes a stolen horse by its brand, his life is suddenly at risk—with the outlaws plotting to kill him and throw him into a well ("el pozo"). What follows is a tale of a desperate escape, a warning from a loyal cook, the quick thinking of one man, and a dramatic standoff at the ranch of Doña Virginia Salinas de Garcia, a fierce matriarch who risks everything to save him. Discover the story of how a single act of recognition led to a life of danger, survival, and eventually, great success as a landowner and businessman in Concepcion.

*Episode Note from Homero

Doña Virgiña’s grandchildren, Heriberto Barrera and Genoveva Barrera Leach, independently confirmed the story as my dad had told it to me. Recently, while viewing the vaquero artist Ricardo Beasley’s website, he also mentions in his notebook that he needed to follow up on Don Eleno’s story of the bandits.

Host David Flores and Subject Matter Expert Homero Vera dig into the fiercely rooted history of Rios, Texas, in Duval County. Discover the community's story, which stretches back to the indigenous Los Venados hunters and a crucial 1835 Mexican land grant to Don Dionisio Elizondo. Learn about the founding families—the Gonzalez', Vera's, and Martínez'—who settled the land as Rancho Santa Cruz and La Gloria, and how a simple post office issue near World War II led to the community's final name, Rios. This is a powerful story of endurance and a living legacy connected to South Texas land.