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An array of pumpjacks operate along Texas State Highway 80 Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes County.

Family legacies and the state’s Jim Crow past underlie a fight over mineral rights on a stretch of South Texas scrubland

Descendants of a prominent white family and a formerly enslaved couple are fighting over ownership — and the oil and gas royalties that would come with it — of an 147.5-acre tract that has bound and divided generations of their families.


A flare buns off excess natural gas along Texas State Highway 80 Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes County.

The landmen arrive

A Karnes County resident sits for breakfast inside Taqueria Vallarta Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes City.
Louis Eckford’s name is seen pictured in an Abstract of Title dated November 21, 1889, declaring his purchase of land from the guardian of Lula Haskins Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes City.

The Eckfords

A portion of Louis and Eliza Eckford’s tract of land is seen beyond a fence bordering Farm to Market Road 627 Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes County.

The Korths

The Karnes County Courthouse is seen pictured Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes City.

The lawsuits

The trial

The courtroom jury box inside the Karnes County Courthouse is seen lit by window light Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes City. The courthouse was initially built in 1894 after the county seat was moved from nearby Helena to Karnes City and the structure was renovated from 2011 to 2018.
Light shines through one of the stained glass windows at the Karnes County Courthouse Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Karnes City. The courthouse was initially built in 1894 after the county seat was moved from nearby Helena to Karnes City and the structure was renovated from 2011 to 2018.

The verdict


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