This gorgeous bronze plaque obviously has an organization and some money behind it. The quality of the art work alone proves that.
But who put it here and when is a mystery. The 250th centennial of Juan Dominguez de Mendoza's journey to chart this trail was in 1934, and that certainly seems to match the look of this plaque.
The plaque is affixed to a boulder at Rooney Park, site of one of six of the springs that together made up Comanche Springs. Though dry, these springs were known and used since prehistoric times as a source of fresh clear water in this arid part of Texas.
The plaque reads as follows:
"FORT STOCKTON
COMANCHE SPRINGS
SAN ANSELMO
Route of
Juan Dominguez de Mendoza
January twelfth 1684
CHIHUAHUA
and
OVERLAND TRAILS"
A nearby historic marker reads as follows:
"SITE OF COMANCHE SPRINGS
(One spring located here; others within 300 yards on a line runnung NE to SW)
Used as a watering place and camping ground by Indians since Pre-Columbian times, the Springs were possibly visited about 1536 by Spaniard Cabeza de Vaca on his wanderings through Texas. The expedition of Juan de Mendoza, with his party of Spaniards and Jumano Indians, camped near the waters in 1684.
The six major gushing springs and the beautiful river they formed resulted from water seeping up through geological faults to the earth's surface. The reservoir which supplied them was located in the formation known as "Trinity Sand."
The springs, among the largest in all Texas, were one of the few good watering places in this arid region. They supplied Indians raiding into Mexico on the nearby Comanche war trail and also gold seekers traveling to California on the southern route, 1849 and later. Butterfield Overland Mail stage stopped here as well, and after 1859 the Springs provided water for Fort Stockton, which was founded both to protect the mail and stop the Comanche raids.
The springs began to be tapped for irrigation as early as 1875, but today irrigation projects to the north and west have reduced the underground water supply so much that the springs no longer flow. (1968)"
Juan Dominguez de Mendoza's daily account of his travels can be found here: (
visit link) Page 349 corresponds to 12 Jan 1684.
From the Americanjourneys.org website: (
visit link)
"Document Number: AJ-017
Author: Domínguez de Mendoza, Juan, born 1631
Title: Itinerary of Juan Domínguez de Mendoza, 1684
Source: Bolton, Herbert Eugene (editor). Spanish Exploration in the Southwest, 1542-1706. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1916). Pages 313-343.
Pages/Illustrations: 33 / 0
Citable URL: www.americanjourneys.org/aj-017/
Author Note
Juan Domínguez de Mendoza (born 1631) arrived in New Mexico as a twelve-year-old boy. In 1654 he was a member of an expedition that traveled to the Jumano nation near San Angelo, Texas. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Spanish established trade relations with the Jumanos Indians who lived on the Nueces River, a branch of the upper Colorado. Communication with the Jumanos was cut off after the uprising of the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico in 1680 (see AJ-009a and AJ-009b). In 1683, a delegation of seven Native Americans, including Jumanos and others, appeared before Governor Cruzate in El Paso seeking aid against the Apaches, a resumption of trade, and the services of missionaries. At the end of the year, the governor appointed Juan Domínguez de Mendoza to lead an expedition to central Texas to carefully examine the Nueces River, bring back samples of pearls and other resources, learn about the Native Americans in the region, and re-establish trade with the Jumanos.
Mendoza-López Expedition of 1683-1684
The expedition set out December 15, 1683, heading southeast from El Paso along the Rio Grande to La Junta. From there, they proceeded north to the Pecos River, which they followed a short distance and crossed near present-day Horsehead Crossing. The expedition then left the river and went east across a plain to the Middle Concho, which they followed to its junction with the Nueces River near San Angelo. Mendoza continued east to a river that he called the San Clemente, probably the Colorado River near its junction with the Concho. They remained there for six weeks before returning to El Paso in May 1684.
This journal describes the route of the expedition, the suitability of land for pasturage and agriculture, the rivers of the region, the availability of fish and freshwater mollusks bearing pearls, and interactions with Native Americans, especially their conversion to Christianity and the regular celebration of Mass in the communities visited. Mendoza describes the Indians’ large livestock holdings and the increased use of beef in the Native American diet. He also describes plants and animals observed on the expedition, including pine, pecan trees, plums, grapes, and mulberries, and the presence of bear, deer, and antelope.
Following their journey, Father López and Mendoza went to Mexico City in 1685 and 1686 to urge the Spaniards to occupy the Jumano country with missionaries and soldiers. Their recommendations were ignored due to several factors, including the invasion of Spanish territory in east Texas by LaSalle (see AJ-114 and AJ-121).
Document Note
This record of the itinerary of Mendoza is housed among the manuscripts in the Archivo General y Público in Mexico. This English translation is from Herbert Eugene Bolton, ed. Spanish Exploration in the Southwest, 1542-1706 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1916)."