José María Valadez, born in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, purchased land in this area in 1864 and moved here with his wife, Josefa Garcia Hinojosa. The family operated two ranches in the area, raising cattle and sheep and cultivating corn and cotton. The ranch here was named La Laguna de las Calaveras for skeletal remains found on the site that were believed to be from members of an Indian tribe who faced a major flood in the area. The earliest marked grave in the cemetery is that of Daniel Valadez, who died in 1878. Used by generations of the Valadez family, the graveyard is also used by the Ben Bolt community.