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From the battle of San Jacinto to the storied Chisholm Trail, Texas is steeped in a rich history. As a fifth-generation Texan, I’ve always told the tales of my family’s heritage, being among the early settlers and the first pioneers of our great state. What many Texans may not know is that many stories and tales of our past lay as hidden treasure on a historic trail known as “El Camino Real de Los Tejas.”
Winding some 2,580 miles from the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass through San Antonio, Bastrop, and Nacogdoches to Natchitoches, Louisiana, El Camino Real opened America to Texas and Texas to the world.
Used early on for exploration, missionary work and colonization, the trail’s history reaches back nearly 300 years to the adventures of Spanish explorers Alonso de Leon in 1689 and Teran de los Rios in 1691. For 150 years El Camino Real served as a path for missionaries, explorers, traders, ranchers and armies. During this period, more than 30,000 Anglo-Americans immigrated along the corridor into the Texas region.
Over time, the trail assumed various names and expanded its reach. In South Texas, the Lower Presidio Road, the Camino Pita and the Upper Presidio Road eventually became a part of the trail. A separate path linked Laredo to San Antonio and the Camino Real system. Two major roads branched northeastward from San Antonio: The Camino de los Tejas along the Balcones Escarpment; and the Camino Arriba through the Post Oak Savannah, both of which converged again in Nacogdoches.
The different trails of El Camino Real served as a strategic corridor during America’s War of Independence and the Texas Revolution, particularly during the battle of the Alamo. Davy Crockett used a section of the trail to reach the Alamo while General Santa Anna sought a quick surprise assault on the Texians in San Antonio utilizing a linking trail, the Upper Presidio Road. The El Camino Real de los Tejas road system was the main transportation route during the Texas Revolution for Mexican and Texian armies and continued to play a major role in subsequent military actions.
As the first major highway into Texas and Louisiana, El Camino Real opened the pathways to trade and cultural exchange. To continue to foster this endeavor, I have introduced legislation to direct the National Park Service to designate El Camino Real de Los Tejas as a National Historic Trail. This legislation will recognize the significance of the trail and preserve its historic importance. While protecting the private property of landowners along its route, the bill will also allow our state agencies such as the Texas Historical Commission, to participate in the establishment and designation of the trail to enhance tourism and economic development. This bill will help preserve our history, heritage and culture while educating Texans and the millions of tourists who visit each year.
El Camino Real de Los Tejas forged the way for the early development of Texas into a Spanish colony, an independent Republic, and finally our nation’s 28th state. This corridor is not just a highway with a historical foundation, it is a road that has been the foundation of an inspirational past and will continue to pave the way for Texas academically, economically and historically for years to come.
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