The history of ranching in South Texas reads like a list of current city names—so many towns in Nueces and San Patricio counties pay homage to the businessmen who invested in those areas, like Taft, Sinton, Mathis and Fulton. But not all of the men who helped make these ranches great are remembered in such a way.
Joseph French Green was hired by David Sinton to manage the 224,000-acre Catarina Ranch, but was then reassigned as Superintendent of the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company. When Sinton died, the ranch passed to his son-in-law, Charles P. Taft.
During Green’s tenure at what became known as the Taft Ranch, he worked to introduce new crops, improve the cattle quality and experiment with new farming methods. The ranch thrived, as did the new city of Taft, which was built up as a company town by Green. Coleman-Fulton even built an agricultural-industrial complex nearby to process farm products.
One of Green’s projects was the construction of La Quinta, a mansion built to impress both Mr. Taft as owner of the ranch and Green’s new bride, Mae Mathis. Located where Cheniere sits today, it was built on a raised foundation, giving the upper floors views of Nueces Bay and Corpus Christi.
The house was built to accommodate 100 people and, as planned, paid host to Charles Taft many times, including the 1909 visit of his half-brother, President William Howard Taft. The magnificent home served the ranch past Green’s death until it was lost to fire in 1938.
