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UNIVERSAL
CITY , TEXAS
Bexar 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
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| 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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