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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOSR/El Camino Real in Brazos County Chronology OSR /EI Camino Real in Brazos County Chronology Barbara Donalson Althaus 2/4/09 After hearing many definitions, some conflicting, of OSR in Brazos County regarding age of the old road and whether it is the Upper Road or the Lower Road of El Camino Real, I decided to delve into some details. Also to connect Francisco Ruiz to our area. His name is on many deeds in our area. BTW there are two Francisco Ruiz's, father and son. Father is Jose Francisco Ruiz. Son is Francisco Antonio Ruiz. The National Park Service describes El Camino Real as composed of a variety of trails — including the Camino Pita, Upper Presidio Road, Lower Presidio Road and Camino Arriba. It was the primary route between Mexico City and Los Adaes (now in Louisiana). The section of El Camino Real known as the Camino Arriba became known as the OId San Antonio Road, which stretched from San Antonio to Natchitoches, Louisiana. (The preceding sentence is in question.) This road gained historical significance for its role in the migration of American settlers into Texas. The Old San Antonio Road is also known as the Camino Real, the King's Highway, and the San Antonio - Nacogdoches Road. The blazing of the trail came about as the result of three expeditions: 1690, 1691, and 1693: 1690 Alonso De Leon led his fourth expedition into Texas, this time to establish San Francisco de los Tejas Mission in East Texas. 1691 Domingo Teran de los Rios, first provincial governor of Texas, took additional missionaries to the East Texas missions. 1693 Gregorio de Salinas Varona, the first man to proceed directly from the Rio Grande to the East Texas missions in an expedition to bring relief supplies. He further defined the road as a direct route from Monclova to the Spanish missions. n.d. La Bahia Trail (circa 1690 early 1700s) was an Old Spanish military and stagecoach road that forked southwesterly from the OId San Antonio Road west of Nacogdoches, to Presidio La Bahia near Goliad. 1713/1714 Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, the French explorer and trader, probably traveled through the area (Burleson County) en route from Natchitoches, Louisiana to the Rio Grande. The trail he blazed between the Trinity River and San Antonio became known as the Upper Road of one of the caminos reales, or the OId San Antonio Road -- the most important route from San Antonio to the eastern border of Spanish Texas. 1718 Martin de Alarcon, governor of Texas, travelled the Upper Road (through Burleson County) to the Spanish missions among the Texas Indians in East Texas. After 1790 The portion of OSR connecting Bastrop and Crockett came into use. 1807 Zebulon M. Pike, the explorer, may have been the first American to visit the area (Burleson County). He traversed the OId San Antonio Road to Natchitoches upon his release from imprisonment in Chihuahua in 1807. 1813 Jose Francisco Ruiz and his nephew, Jose Antonio Navarro, go into exile. With the defeat of the revolutionaries after the Battle of Medina and a price on his head, Ruiz was "obliged to emigrate to the United States to the north." 1813 Jose Antonio Navarro was compelled to flee to the United States because he supported the Guiterrez -Magee expedition to re -take Texas from Spain. He developed a friendship with Stephen F. Austin which deepened his interest in Texas colonization. 1813 Amnesty granted to Mexican insurgents, J. F. Ruiz and Juan Martin de Veramendi, among others. But Ruiz family was on 1814 List of Insurgents. (Veramendi's land grant was around the Hays County area.) 1820 It is likely that Moses Austin journeyed through the territory (Burleson County) as he traveled the Upper Road from Arkansas to San Antonio de Bexar seeking an empresario contract in the fall of 1820. ** 1820s The OId San Antonio Road was specified as the northern boundary of Stephen F. Austin's first colony in the early 1820s. 1822 J. F. Ruiz remained in exile until 1821 and returned to Texas 6 Apr 1830 Jose Francisco Ruiz was named commander at Fort Tenoxtitlan. He was dispatched to establish a military post on the Brazos at the upper crossing of the Bexar- Nacogdoches road. The fort was to be established at the strategic point halfway down the OId San Antonio Road. Its primary purpose to prevent further American colonization. Arriving on 13 July, 1) established temporary headquarters on the east bank about a half mile below the Old San Antonio Road. 2) On 17 Oct they moved to a permanent site on a high bluff on the west bank of the river 12 miles above the San Antonio crossing, opposite the spot where the present Brazos - Robertson county line strikes the river, and gave their post the name Fort Tenoxtitlan, as one in a chain of military garrisons designed to Mexicanize Texas. Oct 1830 Maj. Sterling C. Robertson appeared at Tenoxtitlan requesting permission for 50 American families to settle. Mexican authorities declined the request; however, Col. Ruiz evaded orders to apprehend the colonists and turn them over to the authorities in Nacogdoches, thus permitting them to scatter into various parts of Texas. Many migrated into the Austin Colony south of the OId San Antonio Road. 13 Jul 1832 Mier y Teran, despondent over the failure of his grand scheme to settle Mexicans in the Texas wilderness, committed suicide. Thereupon the demoralized Col Ruiz decided to abandon Tenoxtitlan, without being attacked, and began the process. (date discrepancies here re months) 1833 & 1834 J. F. Ruiz owned property around San Antonio and received 11 leagues of land which is now Robertson, Brazos, Milam, Burleson and Karnes Counties. 1836 Description of Brazos River used in advertising to prospective settlers: "The Rio Brazos is considered the best navigable stream in Texas; vessels drawing six feet of water can navigate it to Brazoria, and steam boats of light draught to San Felipe 90 miles higher. At its mouth the Brazos is 200 yards wide and continues about the same to San Felipe. The lands on this river and all its streams are the richest and deepest in Texas." 1836 J. F. Ruiz was a delegate to the Convention of 1836. He and his nephew, J. Antonio Navarro, signed Texas Declaration of Independence 2 March 1836, the only native born Texans among the 59 men who affixed their names to the document. Another, Lorenzo de Zavala, had been born in Mexico. What ties these three men together is their support of Texan settlers and disobeying orders from Mexico to keep the settlers away. They are the three Mexican signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. 1836 Battle of the Alamo: Antonio Francisco Ruiz, son of J. F. Ruiz, is Alcalde of San Antonio and ordered to clean up after the battle — to bury the Mexicans and burn the Texans. 1836 [time not precisely known] When Houston learned of Fannin's destruction, his withdrawal became a retreat and he turned northward toward the Brazos River and Jared Groce's plantation. He went by way of San Felipe de Austin, which he torched. March, April 1836 Runaway Scrape: Alarmed by the news of the fall of the Alamo and by the fugitives streaming eastward on the OId San Antonio Road, area residents joined the mass flight from the advancing Mexican army. But soon returned to their homes. 27 Dec 1836 J. F. Ruiz advises "under no circumstance take side against the Texans ..." After Mexican independence, the eastern end of this road located at today's Las Adaes, Louisiana from 1721 to 1772, became the San Antonio Road. Following the United States' war with Mexico, the OId San Antonio Road, became noted for its role as a trade route for cotton, supplies and troops. ** 1841 Name changed to Brazos County in 1842. Originally it was Navasota County, created in 1841 from Washington and Robertson counties. Old San Antonio Road became its northern border also. (see 1820s and Stephen Austin colony) 1915 The Texas legislature appropriated $5,000 to survey and mark the route. The DAR and other patriotic organizations sponsored and endorsed the project. Professional surveyor V. N. Zivley was commissioned to make the study. (copy in Carnegie Library) He used the 1778 diary of Juan Agustin Morfi and followed a southeasterly course. Beginning at Paso de Francia on the Rio Grande, passed near Cotulla and Poteet, to San Antonio. Then it passed between Hays and Caldwell counties, through Bastrop, Lee, and Burleson counties, formed the boundary between Robertson and Brazos and Madison and Leon counties ... and crossed the Sabine River at Gaines Ferry. Total distance 540 miles. 1929 The Texas legislature marked the Zivley version of OSR as one of the historic trails of Texas. And also directed the highway department to preserve and maintain the road along the route. 1991 TX legislature formed an OSR Preservation Commission and a supporting advisory committee. Also directed TxDOT and public Transportation to id the disposition of the historical trail, to develop a historic preservation plan and prepare a comprehensive report. 1992 A. Joachim McGraw determined that the route Zivley plotted was only one of several changing historic routes known as the OId San Antonio Road or El Camino Real. And id'd no fewer than 5 different main routes that were used at various times. (This report is in electronic version if anyone wants it.) After the 1991 highway department study, the state adopted a comprehensive preservation plan, which called for continued efforts to study the road, to preserve existing artifacts, and to develop educational and tourist materials to publicize the road's history. Camino Arriba: A later road called camino arriba by Stephen F Austin was established near the end of the 18 century, and tho it still led to East Texas, the route looped southward through a dense post oak savannah.) Stops along Old San Antonio Road from a brochure, key word 'Old San Antonio Road': Milam. The location, though no longer a formally organized town, began as a popular campsite on the Old San Antonio Road. Bryan. Was a key stop along El Camino Real. It wasn't until the 1820s that settlement here began. By 1867 the railroad came and established Bryan as an agricultural and commercial center. Sources "El Camino Real de los Tejas, National Historic Trail," TxDOT, Texas Historical Commission National Trails System Map and Guide, National Park Service 1836 Revolutionary Map of Texas Handbook of Texas Online: "Old San Antonio Road" "Texas Revolution" "Burleson County" "Fort Tenoxtitlan" "Tejano Politics" "Jose Antonio Navarro" "Jose Francisco Ruiz" DRT Historic Site Medallion, "La Bahia Trail Upper Coushatta Trace"