Espuela Cemetery

The town of Espuela, Texas had a short history - starting with settlers who arrived during the 1870s to its end on January 10, 1910 when the last of its land was sold to a new owner who converted it back to farmland. The only marker for this small town that was once the county seat of Dickens County is this small cemetery that is located well off any paved highway. 

To find this cemetery, one must take a series of dirt roads that lead you deep into Texas farm country. The only marker near the road for this cemetery is a small rock with a sign that briefly tells the story of this almost-forgotten town. 

Driving down the dirt path that leads toward the cemetery, there is a small burial plot to the right and then a larger burial area at the end of the dirt road. There is nothing else and no one nearby as far as the eye can see. The first burial plot bears the oldest marked grave - one that belongs to Freighter Combs who “died of a gun shot wound” in 1877. Legend says that this man is a big part of Espuela history. He is the first white man to be killed by another white man, according to the town’s recorded history. His first name was not Freighter; rather, that moniker belied his occupation at the time of his death. No one knew his real first name since he was just passing through town.  

Farther down the dirt path, a large metal sign bearing the name ESPUELA hovers over the unlocked chain link fence that surrounds the main burial area. Walking into the main burial area, there is a mix of engraved headstones and small, white metal crosses that mark the graves. The metal crosses are unmarked - no names and no dates.

To walk through this cemetery is to walk through time. You can trace family trees and see what dates that sickness must have passed through town and taken the lives of their children and elderly. Small sea shells and other trinkets adorn the graves as a reminder that the town of Espuela may be gone, but those who rest here are not forgotten.