FIRST -- Presidio in Texas, Douglass TX
N 31° 40.036 W 094° 52.987
15R E 321475 N 3505095
Presidio Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de los Tejas, the first Spanish presidio in Texas
Waymark Code: WMXHXB
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2018
Views: 1
Five historical markers in the Douglass Pavilion at the intersection of the State Highway 21 and the FM 225 in downtown Douglass tell the story of this fascinating area of Texas.
One marker, dedicated to Presidio Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de los Tejas (established 1716), proclaims it the first Spanish Presidio in Texas.
The marker reads as follows:
"Presidio Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de los Tejas
On April 25, 1716, Captain Domingo Ramón embarked on an expedition to establish a permanent settlement in the Spanish province of Texas, which resulted in the establishment of Presidio Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Tejas (also called Presidio Dolores or Presidio de los Tejas). Capt. Ramón left the Presidio San Juan Bautista and crossed the Rio Grande with a group of more than seventy people to build and occupy a fort and a chain of missions among the Tejas Indians of the Caddo Confederacy in East Texas. French trading with the Caddo Indians was heavily present by 1716, and a French attack on Mission San Miguel in 1719 prompted the Spanish to abandon Presidio Dolores and the missions.
Spanish and French tensions eased in 1721. The Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo, the new Spanish Governor, reestablished Presidio Dolores and the six missions. Sketches of Presidio Dolores exhibited a square-shaped fort with two bastions on opposite corners, an interior plaza with small houses along its perimeter, and a chapel near the south bulwark. After a 1727 Spanish military review, Presidio Dolores was closed in 1729 and the three nearby western missions were abandoned in 1730. Presidio Dolores was not only significant because it was the first presidio in the province of Texas, it was also the first Spanish settlement to have women and children. Its status as an established presidio helped to displace French ownership claims over Texas. The Commission of Control of the Texas Centennial placed a Centennial marker in 1936 to honor the Presidio’s legacy. (2014)
Marker is property of the state of Texas"
FIRST - Classification Variable: Place or Location
Date of FIRST: 07/07/1716
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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