Zavala County, Texas from 1850 to 1950 as pictured in archived government photographs, vintage postcards, old school yearbooks and newspapers. This was life in Crystal City, Amaya, Batesville, Chula Vista, La Pryor, Loma Grandeas as our parents, grandparents and ancestors saw it.

Here's a great old photo of the Zavala County Courthouse in 1885 when the county seat was Batesville. This building was home to county government until 1928, at which time the county seat was moved to Crystal City.

Two old men stopped to talk in front of the grocery store in Crystal City in 1939

A man shows off his two fighting roosters in Crystal City in 1939

Three men relax on the steps of a padlocked store in Crystal City Texas in 1939

In 1939 a cowboy shows off his pet pigeon at his home in Crystal City Texas. The photographer called this a pigeon but it looks more like a white-winged dove to me.

In 1939 a little boy shows off his baby goat in Crystal City Texas

Children play beside cars covered in sheets at this migrant labor camp in Crystal City Texas in 1939

In 1939 two men visit on a sidewalk while two little boys tug at their father's pocket to get his attention and another sits on the sidewalk to play.

Ever buy a hot dog for a nickel or get a plate lunch for a quarter? That's what it cost at the Red Onion Cafe in in Crystal City Texas in the 1930s

In 1939 two men stopped at a mailbox to have a talk in front of the grocery store in Crystal City Texas

These girls, members of Troop No. 1, are busy earning their Bird Finding Badges in Crystal City in 1947. Photo from the Zavala County Sentinel

In 1939 famed photographer Lee Russell took this great photo of four migrant children in Crystal City Texas

A man identified by the photographer only as an old time trail driver posed in front of his kitchen cabinet in Crystal City in 1939

Resources:

West Texas History & Memories (Face Book Group)

Early Life in Texas County by County

Books about Texas People and Places

Famous People from Texas County by County