HISTORY
The Garden Ridge area is rich in history and has been home to many residents including Native American Indians, Spanish and German settlers, and more. Our own "Nacogdoches Road", known as the King's Highway served as a main route between San Antonio and Nacogdoches during the Spanish occupation of the area. The road was built to transport the King of Spain between the two cities.
Historical Background
El Camino Real para los Texas is one of several roads that has played a significant role in the political, economic, and cultural development of the southwestern United States. Originally the road linked Coahuila, Mexico, with Los Adaes (near present-day Robelene, Louisiana), the first Spanish capital of the province of Texas; later, the road connected the vast Texas frontier to Saltillo and Mexico City.
El Camino Real para los Texas was the principal road across what would become present-day Texas throughout the Spanish period (1690-1821). The route continued in use throughout the Mexican period (1821-1836), facilitating the Anglo-American settlement of a vast territory.
From the 1820s through the 1840s, a new road corridor became a major westward route for Anglo-American immigrants traveling to Texas, many of whom used the Natchez Trace. This corridor became known as the Old San Antonio Road. Some of the Old San Antonio Road segments are the same as the El Camino Real para los Texas segments, and in other places the routes parallel each other. The Old San Antonio Road was also a vital military highway, both for the Texans and the Mexicans. However, following the war with Mexico, the Old San Antonio Road declined in importance as trade routes changed and American port cities, such as New Orleans, increased in use and importance.
El Camino Real was first used by Spanish military expeditions in the middle 1680s to counter French forces who were intruding into what is now Texas. Spanish exploration of east Texas resulted in the establishment of missions and presidios in strategic areas to counter the French threat.
The early decades of the 19th century brought changes for Texas and the northern Mexican states. Anglo-American immigration along portions of El Camino Real was followed by independence, first for Mexico and then for Texas. In 1845 the annexation of Texas by the United States led to war between the United States and Mexico. Through war and peace, El Camino Real was used by soldiers, settlers, and traders as modern Texas emerged.
As a conduit for continuity and change, El Camino Real para los Texas brought cultural innovations from Spanish-Mexican institutions from the south and, during the route's later use, from the east. Many institutions and industries, such as cattle ranching, missions, and irrigation systems, endured the passage of time to become integral parts of the cultural blend of modern Texas.
Related Efforts
The Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation researched historic routes associated with the Old San Antonio Road and the Camino Real to commemorate the significance of the corridor. The resulting study, A Texas Legacy: The Old San Antonio Road & the Caminos Reales, A Tricentennial History, 1691-1991, includes extensive archival research and on-the-ground verification of remnant archeological and historical sites associated with the road corridor.
Historical Background
El Camino Real para los Texas is one of several roads that has played a significant role in the political, economic, and cultural development of the southwestern United States. Originally the road linked Coahuila, Mexico, with Los Adaes (near present-day Robelene, Louisiana), the first Spanish capital of the province of Texas; later, the road connected the vast Texas frontier to Saltillo and Mexico City.
El Camino Real para los Texas was the principal road across what would become present-day Texas throughout the Spanish period (1690-1821). The route continued in use throughout the Mexican period (1821-1836), facilitating the Anglo-American settlement of a vast territory.
From the 1820s through the 1840s, a new road corridor became a major westward route for Anglo-American immigrants traveling to Texas, many of whom used the Natchez Trace. This corridor became known as the Old San Antonio Road. Some of the Old San Antonio Road segments are the same as the El Camino Real para los Texas segments, and in other places the routes parallel each other. The Old San Antonio Road was also a vital military highway, both for the Texans and the Mexicans. However, following the war with Mexico, the Old San Antonio Road declined in importance as trade routes changed and American port cities, such as New Orleans, increased in use and importance.
El Camino Real was first used by Spanish military expeditions in the middle 1680s to counter French forces who were intruding into what is now Texas. Spanish exploration of east Texas resulted in the establishment of missions and presidios in strategic areas to counter the French threat.
The early decades of the 19th century brought changes for Texas and the northern Mexican states. Anglo-American immigration along portions of El Camino Real was followed by independence, first for Mexico and then for Texas. In 1845 the annexation of Texas by the United States led to war between the United States and Mexico. Through war and peace, El Camino Real was used by soldiers, settlers, and traders as modern Texas emerged.
As a conduit for continuity and change, El Camino Real para los Texas brought cultural innovations from Spanish-Mexican institutions from the south and, during the route's later use, from the east. Many institutions and industries, such as cattle ranching, missions, and irrigation systems, endured the passage of time to become integral parts of the cultural blend of modern Texas.
Related Efforts
The Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation researched historic routes associated with the Old San Antonio Road and the Camino Real to commemorate the significance of the corridor. The resulting study, A Texas Legacy: The Old San Antonio Road & the Caminos Reales, A Tricentennial History, 1691-1991, includes extensive archival research and on-the-ground verification of remnant archeological and historical sites associated with the road corridor.
