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UNIVERSAL
CITY , TEXASBexar
County, South Texas
Highways 78 & 218 and
Loop 1604
18 Miles SW of Seguin
18 Miles NE of San Antonio
Population:
14,849(2000) 13,057(1990) |
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| History
in a Pecan Shell
A developed community with no 19th century history.
It was born at the north gate of Randolph Field. Randolph began operations in
late 1931 and the following year a gas station opened. From this modest begining
- the town was born. Not a town - a city. Not just a city - but Universal City.
The name is said to denote "the universal importance" of the air base.
The population remained small for the first thirty years. In 1960 there was still
less than 1,000 Universal Citizens. A lumber company owner started building houses
in 1950. Things began taking off in 1963 when the base population was bolstered
by the transfer of the Air Force Manpower Personnel Center from Washington, D.
C. It's status as a "real" city was debatable. While most towns were started with
a post office - Universal City didn't get one until 1971. The population was estimated
at only 950 in 1964. But by the 1970s it had grown to over 7,500 prople. The majority
of Universal City's population is retired military - or active military living
off-base. Local schools fall under the juristiction of the Judson ISD of Converse,
Texas. |
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EDENS
CEMETERY
Universal City, Texas |
| Woman
Hollering Creek as it flows southeast from its source ponds toward FM 1518 and
further down where it crosses under I-10. Woman Hollering Creek empties into Martinez
Creek just northeast of St Hedwig. - Ruben R. Hernandez, June 2007 |
I have lived in Universal City, just outside the front gate to Randolph Air Force
Base, for over 45 years. I take my grandchildren fishing on the small ponds /
lakes just south of the base golf course. These ponds are the source of Woman
Hollering Creek. A map found on page 137 of Rand McNally's San
Antonio and Vicinity shows its source, although the small ponds are not shown.
The ponds shown on the map are within the golf course; although the creek's source
ponds are outside the golf course boundaries. The [above photo] shows Woman
Hollering Creek as it flows southeast from its source ponds toward FM 1518
and further down where it crosses under I-10. Woman Hollering Creek empties into
Martinez Creek just northeast of St Hedwig.
As I understand it, Webster's Handy College Dictionary defines "holler" as
the verb/noun "yell". I would not confuse "hollering" with "weeping" as the legend
of La Llorona implies. The legend of Woman
Hollering Creek is totally different. The old folks in the Universal City
area have told me that the woman "hollering" was actually a pioneer woman who
went to the creek to either get water or to wash clothes and was attacked by indians,
thus she "hollered" or yelled for help. A friend whose family owned a ranch for
many years on Lower Seguin Rd, about 1/2 mile from the creek's source, vouched
for the story several years ago. I passed the legend on to my grandchildren as
we netted minnows at the source of the creek. - Sincerely, Ruben R. Hernandez,
Universal City, June 28, 2007 | |
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