A 1722 Diary Saw Hundreds of Deer Near the Atascosa Line

A 1722 expedition diary catches the country near today's Medina-Atascosa line in one remarkable moment. Juan Antonio de la Pena wrote that the Aguayo party crossed flat ground and saw three or four hundred deer around them at once.

The South Texas Plains looked different then. Prairie dominated, broken by mesquite, prickly pear, and other woody plants. Dense brush gathered mainly along rivers, creeks, drainages, and small mottes. Frequent natural fires kept it from spreading across as much open country.

The landscape changed as livestock pressure increased and fires became less common. Soil, climate, and brush seed also played a part. As the brush thickened, deer numbers rose. The old diary and the later brush tell two versions of the same country: the animals stayed familiar while their cover changed around them.