Kings Highway
N 30° 52.835 W 096° 22.209
14R E 751415 N 3419330
#43 Kings Highway DAR pink granite marker along the county line road TX-OSR, at intersection of Hwy 46 and TX-OSR.
Waymark Code: WMZBH9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/14/2018
Views: 8
The trail known throughout Texas as the Kings Highway can also be called the El Camino Real, El Camino Real de los Tejas, Old San Antonio Road (OSR), and Royal Road. The Kings Highway, or El Camino Real de los Tejas, is really a series of trails that meandered and shifted over time as needs changed for the travelers. However, it stayed within a generally consistent direction and overall location. While other old mission trails in other states are also referred to as El Camino Real, this marker is in the context of the path connecting Mexico City to what is now Natchitoches, Louisiana. Within Texas, a few other labels are sometimes used when referencing the El Camino Real, such as the San Antonio to Nacogdoches Road; or, from during the Civil War era, the Camino Arriba.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) set these pink granite markers along a major portion of the El Camino Real de los Tejas in 1918, in conjunction with the State of Texas funding the cost of the markers. Many still exist today and are still visible along State Highway 21 and the State Highway OSR which are both documented as covering large portions of the El Camino Real de los Tejas trails. The Texas legislature declared the Old San Antonio Road as a Texas Historical Trail and more recently this trail was designated as a National Historic Trail.
This marker is one that is not yet listed in Texas Historical Commission Atlas for either Robertson or Brazos County. There is this marker and six other twin sister markers still extant along the TX-OSR, which is the boundary of Brazos and Robertson Counties, and SH-21 within Brazos County (DAR markers #41, #42, #43, #44, #45, #46 and #47) that have also not been recorded and numbered in the THC atlas. The DAR marker #45 has already been posted as a Texas Historic Marker in waymark WMXBT3.
This pink granite Kings Highway marker is located facing toward TX-OSR on the north side of the highway where Hwy 46 intersects with TX-OSR. This marker is also next to a mileage sign stating Benchley is 10 mile away. The Exxon gas stating is across the highway a few dozen yards from this granite marker offers a good visual indicator your are in the marker's area.
Additional References:
Old San Antonio Road: (
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Kings Hwy history: (
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El Camino Real Historical Trail: (
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Old San Antonio Road History: (
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