El Capote Cabin, National Ranching Heritage Center (moved from Seguin vicinity, TX), Lubbock, Lubbock County, TX

Significance: Jose de la Baume acquired six leagues (27,150 acres) of the Green Dewitt Colony shortly after the Texas revolution. De la Baume's El Capote Ranch was located on the south side of the Guadalupe River about halfway between Seguin and Gonzales. "El Capote," meaning "The Cape," was probably derived from nearby hills of the same name. The cabin, dating from the late 1830's or early 1840's, was probably built by "French" Smith, de la Baume's resident overseer. In 1844, Jose de la Baume's heirs sold out to Michael Erskine, who held the land until 1882 when it was purchased by a group of speculative investors, including Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt. The lien on the property was held by the Scottish-American Mortgage Company, Ltd., financiers of the well-known Swan Land and Cattle Co. and Prairie Land and Cattle Co. The tract on which the cabin was located was purchased by Judge Leroy G. Denman, a Texas Supreme Court Justice, in 1897. The building served as headquarters for ranching and farming operations until the 1880's. and thereafter as tenant quarters, being occupied as late as 1920. It represents the earliest form of dwelling utilized on the Texas frontier. The cabin was donated to the Ranch Headquarters by the heirs of Judge Leroy Gilbert Denman.
Survey number: HABS TX-3317