"Challo leads El Mesquiton circa late 1940s in Olmito, Texas. This was an outside concrete circle with a big mesquite tree in the center which was at the time behind what is today Mels Antiques & Collectibles in Olmito. This was a weekend activity. Ladies would dance for a nickel a song or you could bring your own lady." ~Mels Antiques in Olmito via Facebook
Transcribed from interview with Captain Ken Baker from Lupe Saenz' El Mesquiton II YouTube Video
"An old story about a dance location in Olmito, Texas, a place called "El Mesquiton". The old cement slab dance floor was located next to the Lake View Inn (Bino's Beer Joint) in Olmito, Texas and built around a large mesquite tree. Thus it is the reason the descriptive Spanish name that was given to this location. It was an open air site that had numerous benches lined around the edges where hundreds of people sat and danced on the lighted dance floor at night. The gigantic mesquite tree was adored in lights. The Mexican music polka bands came there to play from near and far. Even some from as far away as San Antonio and Houston played here. The polka music flowed along with the beer that was sold there. It was many a summer night I could hear the music in the distant sitting on the front porch of my Dad’s farm/ranch. We lived a mile away on Baker road. I would sometimes go there at Bino’s Lake View Inn who owned the club and “El Mesquiton ”next to it. The huge outdoor concrete dance platform was a short cut for me walking home from school. My dad was the Deputy Constable in those days/years as well as my uncle who kept the peace there. There were always a few fights from drunks from time to time on Saturday nights but by and large a fun place. The story goes that a young girl was dancing with a handsome stranger one Saturday night. She looked at his shoes and noticed fur coming from his ankle like that of a goat. She screamed and the stranger took off running into the night with people after him. He disappeared into the night. The stories were going all over town, big news! It seems there were several young girls there that one night that had danced with him and was being seduced. I grew up here in this South Texas farming community as a kid and thus it was the talk of the town for some time. The era of those years was back in the mid/late 50's. Part of a book one day."
Comments from our friends on Facebook:
Ivez Barrera
My Dad tells me stories of Listening and Dancing to Freddie Gomez here at El Mesquiton back in the days
Hilda Garcia
There was also that if the young man wanted to dance with the the the young girl he would give her a bag of animal crackers and at the end of the night the girls would go home loaded with little bags of animal crackers.( Story told to us by my Grandfather)
JD Lopez
So what was the name of the place on Vermilion Road that I hear you would pay 25. For a dance back in the 60s ?
Joe Valles
Dang this is where my Dad and Mom Met in 1963/64.. she was from Los Fresnos....he.was from San Pedro....and there was no other way they would have met if it wasn't for El.Mesquiton! Haha..... because be th wre.from Ranchos and they rarely left the Rancho...save for church...or when there was a little money....to go to dances at El Mesquiton!......Chingos and I mean Chingos ...of young men and women....from... Harlingen..to San Benito..to Port Isabel...to Rio Hondo....Olmito....La Paloma...San Jose...Los Fresnos...and Brownsville and even Matamoros...Mx. met thier future sweetheart...and got Married and had families... because of El Mesquiton....From the 1940s until tye 1960s..! Amazing....I'm from San Pedro...and alot of couples...that I knew of that have passed on and or are still alive but very old met there as young people..and teens....this picture is awesome...part of RGV ..life.. Beautiful....!
Aurora Mireles
Yes El Mesquiton we stayed in car to see people dance so much fun. I think there was a tree in the middle.
I believe that the one off Vermilion Road was “El Jardin”.
ReplyDeleteThank you ,my sister,Mary Garza Torres, and Ricardo Torres, knew the Trevino. She would tells us,used to pass y there on the way out.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad used to go there to dance after my mom passed. I was like 5/6 years old. I would wait in the truck eating Fritos and Big Red. Still eat Fritos but with a beer.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother was known as La Reyna de el Mesquiton. Albina "Albenita" Flores would dance and sometimes teach others to dances like polkas, redobas, chotiz, huapangos, and Las Carmelitas. The photo credited to Mels's Antiques is a copy of the owned by my father Ramon Infante.
ReplyDeleteMy great-grandmother Albina "Albenita" Flores was known as the Reyna de la Mesquiton. She would dance and teach people to dance the Chotiz, redoba, Las Carmelitas, huapangos, polkas and other dances. My grandmother Angelita was a great dancer as well. Love this great women. The photo credited to Mel's Antiques is a duplicate, the original is a family photo owned by my father Ramon Infante.
ReplyDelete