Editing Kinney County, Texas (section)

===Early explorations===

[[Saltillo]] Alcalde Fernando de Azcué passed through the southeast corner of the county in 1665 on an expedition, becoming the first European to cross the [[Rio Grande]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Chipman|first=Donald E|title=Fernando de Azcue|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/faz01|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> [[Franciscan]] Brother Manuel de la Cruz explored the county in 1674. In 1675, [[Fernando del Bosque]] traversed the area on an expedition up the Rio Grande from the city of [[Monclova|Nuestra Sra. de Guadalupe]]. He was accompanied by Franciscan friars Juan Larios and Dionisio de San Buenaventura.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chipman|first=Donald E|title=Fernando del Bosque|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fboaj|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref> [[Alonso De León]] in 1688 discovered French explorer and [[René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle|La Salle]] expedition deserter [[Jean Gery|Jean Henri]] in a somewhat confused state of mind, among the Coahuiltecan Indians near the site of present [[Brackettville, Texas|Brackettville]], generally believed to be at Anacacho Mountain.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chipman|first=Donald E|title=Alonso De León|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde06|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> During the late 18th century, several Franciscans established a settlement on Las Moras Creek near the center of the county.<ref>{{cite web|title=Las Moras Creek |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rbl31|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref>  In 1834, while the area was still under Mexican control, English land speculators John Charles Beales and James Grant attempted to establish an English-speaking colony called Dolores at the site. Streets were laid off and 59 colonists were brought in, but the project was abandoned.<ref>{{cite web|last=Riser|first=Carl Coke|title=Beale's Rio Grande Community|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ueb01|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 14, 2010}}</ref>