Essays from Friedrich

A Brief History of Rancho Diana

Rancho Diana is a 1,100-acre City of San Antonio Natural Area in Northwest Bexar County. Purchased in 2001 as a Proposition 3 Edwards Aquifer protection property, the land is a beautiful segment of Texas Hill Country and is home to a large population of endangered Black-capped Vireos. Rancho Diana, like some other recently acquired Natural Areas, is not open to the public pending survey using the criteria of the city’s Natural Areas’ Land Use Management Plan. After baseline biological and other environmental studies are complete, the future use of the property will be determined. At present, the property serves its purpose of preserving the quantity and quality of water entering the Edwards Aquifer.

The original European owner is ‘understood’ to be a Captain Menchaca who at one time was the commander of the Spanish garrison at San Antonio de Bexar. The land was granted to him by the King of Spain. (Other sources list a Captain Menchaca who was on the Alamo defenders side. A volunteer researcher was not able to track down the specifics of the Menchaca story.)

May 1877 - A land patent was obtained for Theo Stapper.

1932 - Frank Granger Huntress purchased the property. He is responsible for most of the improvements on the land. It is rumored the Tudor style, stone house (now burned) was built first, and the stucco, Spanish style house was built a few years later for his son. Huntress (longtime newspaperman and chairman of Express Publishing) used the property for hunting, meetings and entertaining, as well as for a family retreat. The compound containing the houses and entrance drive are fenced separately from the remainder of the property. Evidence indicates livestock heavily grazed the bulk of the property. Outbuildings and structures indicate that horses, cattle, and sheep and/or goats were raised.

Pond at Rancho Photo by Peggy Spring ©

The name “Rancho Diana” may be a play on Mr. Huntress’ name. Diana was the goddess of the hunt in Greek mythology. The area around the Huesta springs, above the pond, is a fair fit to the description of Diana’s bathing pool. The masonry swans on the grounds also tie to the story of Diana taking the form of a swan.

The entire compound area was irrigated and landscaped. The dominant style is English; however there is strong Italian/Mediterranean influence and some Japanese. Four separate wells supplied the water necessary for this horticultural landscape.

The rock house has two servants’ living quarters associated with the adjoining five-car garage. The white house also has a servants’ quarters between the kitchen and garage. There is evidence of many other, now removed buildings, within the compound. It is reputed that many were guest cabins and some for other live-in workers. During the depression of the 1930’s, local residents state that Rancho Diana was a primary source of employment. One can imagine the large number of masons, iron-workers, maids, cooks, gardeners and ranch-hands that would be required to build and operate Rancho Diana.

Neon Skimmer dragonfly Photo by Sarah Kaspar ©

Three houses and a commercial-sized meat locker are located on the southeastern section of the property. This served as home and center of operations for the ranch foreman and his crew. The meat locker probably serviced the hunting guests.

1955 - John P. and Mazie F. Wagner purchased the property.

Dec. 1969 - Terry Thrift, Jr. purchased the vacant acreage. (There is mention of a ‘Thrift Ranch’)

Aug. 1977 - Mr. Wagner died and Mrs. Wagner sold the house area. The large rock house was sold to Edward M. Horne

1980, 81 - Mr. Horne commits arson and burns the rock house to collect insurance. He is convicted and goes to jail. After the rock house burned, Mr. Thrift purchased the houses and compound area.

2001, 02 - Rancho Diana is acquired by the City of San Antonio as part of the voter-approved 2000 Proposition 3 sales tax initiative to protect the quantity and quality of water entering the Edwards Aquifer. The City purchased a bit more than 1,084 acres. An additional 78.4 acres was purchased by the Edwards Aquifer Authority and the San Antonio Water System and donated to the City for inclusion in the Edwards Protection program.

Mustang grapes Photo by Sarah Kaspar ©

On May 27, 2005, Peggy Spring and volunteer researcher, Gail Hughlette, interviewed Diana Algueseva. She lived several years in the white house. Her father had worked for Mr. Huntress before the Korean War and after he came back from the war, was foreman of the ranch for Mr. Wagner. During that time there were about 1,500 goats as well as some cattle on the property. Her grandfather (Jesse Algueseva) and uncle (Severo Menchaca) did much of the stone masonry work on the property. The Wagners were big supporters of American Airlines and had many parties for airline employees at Rancho Diana.

She said the lawn behind the kitchen was fenced and was called the ‘badminton court’ because there was a badminton net there. She said some “Indian pottery”, now at the Witte Museum, was found when they were building the bridges in the pool area.

Several families with the Menchaca surname still live in the immediate vicinity of Rancho Diana.

By Peggy Spring, Park Naturalist, and Eric Lautzenheiser Natural Areas Coordinator, City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department Natural Areas