Great Spanish Road - Potter County, TX - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

County of marker: Potter County
Location of marker: US 87/287, 15 miles N. of Amarillo OR 29 miles S. of Dumas
Date marker erected: 1965
Marker erected by: State Historical Survey Committee

Marker text:

GREAT SPANISH ROAD Near course of the Canadian River, early as days of the American Revolution, men from Santa Fe went past this spot on trips to meet traders from San Augustine, Nacogdoches, and other Spanish towns of East Texas. In 1786, Pedro Vial was commissioned by the Spanish Governor at Santa Fe to establish this route, and secure direct connection from Santa Fe to San Antonio, Texas, with access to East Texas towns. The Great Spanish Road served well colonial Texas and foreshadowed 20th Century usage of the route for a segment of a great intercontinental highway.

A very neat view and explanation was found at Texas Beyond History

Road of Trail Name: Great Spains Road, El Camino Real, or Old San Antonio Road State: Texas County: Potter County Historical Significance: Parts of these roads were not only used for travel, they also formed some of the earliest political boundaries. Near San Antonio for example, the Lower Presidio Road once separated thousands of acres of ranch land claimed by the missions of Espada and San José. The ruts of the trail are still visible in the area. In the 19th century, the Camino Real formed the boundary of many empresario grants throughout Texas. Later, it became the county line of many of the state’s first subdivisions. Years in use: some from 1300, and some still in use today (paved) How you discovered it: On a trip to Texas in March 2010, hunting for historical markers, this is one of them. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: Texas: A Historical Atlas by A Ray Stephens, Carol Zuber-Mallison Hardcover, University of Oklahoma Press 2010 English 417 pages ISBN: 0806138734 ISBN-13: 9780806138732 Website Explination: Great explanation and map http://www.texasalmanac.com/topics/history/origins-camino-real-texas Why?: Travel, exploration by Spanish, Indians trade routes, moving supplies, colonization, and today just getting around Directions: This Texas historical marker is on US 87/287, 15 mi. N of Amarillo OR 29 mi. S of Dumas.

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