The Spaniards and the French that marked the trail were followed by such men as Moses Austin and his son Stephen Fuller Austin (The Father of Texas), Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and early missionaries of multiple faiths. Denis' mission took him westward, traveling right through Sabine country and on into Tejas (the Spanish spelling of Texas), across the Rio Grand, and finally into Mexico. This was a particularly ambitious aim considering the extreme hostility between the great empires of France and Spain. Denis' mission through his travels was to open trade relations between the French frontier at Natchitoches and the Spanish frontier on the Rio Grande. It has been said that the Indians probably directed St. Denis and his crew set out on horseback over the El Camino Real, which by this time had become a well-paved path. Shortly after coming to Natchitoches, St. Denis established a French frontier outpost among the Natchitoches Indians, giving birth to the settlement of Natchitoches, just 30 miles east of present-day Many. The El Camino Real was likely first opened in the early part of the eighteenth century, at the hands of a gallant French explorer, Louis Juchereau St. Spanish explorers are said to have traveled this same trail in the early sixteenth century, more than a half-century before the first English set foot in America and more than 75 years before the first English colony was established in the land that was to become the United States of America. Using the trails, the Adai Indians eventually established a sophisticated trade network from Texas to Louisiana. Native Americans of the Adai Indian Nation roamed the virgin forests of Sabine country, still centuries before the white man came, following the trails beaten out by the bisons' feet. The El Camino Real's roots may well go back more than a thousand years ago, to a time when hundreds and hundreds of buffalo created trails as they moved south of the Great Plains each fall, a number of them turning east at the Trinity River in Texas and following their ancient migration route into Louisiana, through what later became Toledo Bend Country, on to the Red River. These communities make up the Caddo Region, one of four regions of the trail.ĭesignated as a National Historic Trail in 2004, El Camino Real de los Tejas (Hwy 6 in Louisiana and Hwy 21 in Texas) has its easternmost beginning in Natchitoches, Louisiana and runs from piney woods through rolling hills to the arid lands of Old Mexico. Its path crosses directly through downtown Many in Sabine Parish, also traveling through Milam in Sabine County, San Augustine and Nacogdoches to Crockett, Texas. Also called "The King's Highway," and "San Antonio Trace," the road travels east to west from Natchitoches, Louisiana to Mexico City. The El Camino Real is one of the most ancient roads in American history. The El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail ![]() ![]() Black Heritage & Juneteenth Celebration.You are invited to travel this national landmark, visit historic spots along the way and revel in the exciting story of the people who traveled these roads and who gave life to this important slice of our great history as a nation. It also served as a path for such Texas heroes as Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, who fought in the struggle for Texas independence from Mexico. The trail is a combination of routes totaling almost 2,600 miles from the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass and Laredo to Natchitoches, Louisiana. El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail consists of several major routes, including El Camino Real de los Tejas (the 1691 trail), the Lower Road, the Old San Antonio Road (beginning in 1820) and the Laredo Road. From its starting point in Louisiana, this royal road spans the broad expanse of Texas and is paved with the history of the brave men, women and children who traveled it as they pushed the frontiers of Texas to new limits. El Camino Real de los Tejas (The King's Highway) was designated as a National Historic Trail in 2004 by the United States Congress.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |