La Fruta

La Fruta was on the north bank of the Nueces River near the present State Highway 359 bridge four miles south of Mathis in northwestern San Patricio County. There was a small school house there, and after the railroad came through the area in 1888 at least two stores were started. On April 29, 1892, a post office was established in James C. Thompson's store, with Thompson as postmaster. The post office was moved to Mathis in 1895, but for several years La Fruta continued to be a shipping point for vegetables, especially watermelons. A ford existed where the highway now crosses the Nueces, and in 1871 Calvin Wright was issued a permit to operate the first ferry there. A bridge to replace the ferry was approved in 1909 and completed in 1915. Footings for the old bridge were still in place on both sides of the highway bridge in the early 2000s. By that time the area was a county park called La Fruta, named after the defunct community, and managed by San Patricio County.