Historically Speaking: Gates Valley Community


Abner Valentine and wife Elizabeth Gates with children

Abner Valentine and wife Elizabeth Gates with children

When you speak to an Atascosa County citizen that is alive, they will not remember Gates Valley Community. Matter of fact, the Community thrived in the mid to late 1800’s. The location of the community has been under a lot of debate. Some text says that Gates Valley Community was located around West Gates Valley Road, west of Highway 16. Some sources claim to have seen the old remnants of the buildings before they crumbled and became part of the area’s landscape to the east of Highway 16 on East Gates Valley Road, closer to Mangum road.

Why does this community matter, you ask? Well, the individuals involved with the creation of the community were two brothers, William Norwood Gates and Abner Valentine Gates.

William Norwood Gates was Atascosa County’s 4th Sheriff and prior to that, he served in the Siege of Bejar on December 5, 1835, with Colonel Ben Milam. This was one of the first battles of the Texas Revolution. Col Milam was killed in this 5-day battle. In 1881, a bounty certificate No. 179 for 320 acres was petitioned by W.N. Gates to obtain a land grant for his service in the Republic of Texas Army. This land was to have been just north of modern day Poteet around the Gates Valley road area.

Texas Land Grant Petition from William Norwood Gates

Texas Land Grant Petition from William Norwood Gates

Abner Valentine Gates was the younger brother. He served in the Confederate Army, Company E; 33rd Texas Calvary, as a Private for Duff’s Partisan Rangers. I will not go into a lot of detail since the history of Duff’s Rangers are not Atascosa County history, but I do encourage the reading of that course of notorious history. Abner married and settled in Gates Valley until he moved west and assisted in developing a small community called Sand Branch Community. This community existed just north of Highway 173 off of FM 2504. There stands a small church and a cemetery of what is left of Sand Branch Community. Although a lot can be disputed about Gates Valley Community, one thing is for sure. Wherever a railroad used to run, a community existed near or around that railway system. There is still property that belongs to Missouri Railroad (formerly The Artesian Belt Railroad Company) along Mangum Road and East Gates Valley Road area. So, I guess that gives our imagination something to ponder?

Until Next time.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING is written by Atascosa County Historical Commission Chairman, Martin Gonzales, on behalf of the Atascosa County Historical Commission. If you have history to share, you may contact him at 830-480-2741.

3 responses to “Historically Speaking: Gates Valley Community”

  1. Tom Gates says:

    Thank you for this historic article on the history of Atascosa County. William Norwood Gates is my Great,Great Grandfather. The Gates family is just one of the many families to pioneer Texas from the beginning days of the Texas Revolution. Tom Gates, Friendswood, Tex.

    • Jeremiah Gates Rhodes says:

      Hello cousin, w.N. Gates is my Great, Great grandfather as well. My Great grandfather was Alexander Franklin Gates and my Grandfather was Ellis Franklin Gates. There must be a ton of us cousins out there.

    • Martin Gonzales says:

      The Historical Commission will be hosting a dedication ceremony for Gates Valley Community on November 5, 2022 at 9 am.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *