Ox-Cart Road (Section of Chihuahua Road) - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

There are three versions of the Chihuahua Trail. The first Chihuahua Trail became more famously known as the Santa Fe Trail route from Chihuahua City, Mexico through El Paso, Texas and on to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The second Chihuahua Trail also went north through New Mexico but did not last long. The third Chihuahua Trail was a commercial success and the fastest of the three iterations of the trail to get goods the the eastern US market.

This third Chihuahua Trail is the one related to this waymark and went from Chihuahua City, Mexico through San Antonio and then on to the port at Indianola, TX on the Gulf Coast. In Texas, there are many named trails used over the ages for transporting commerce and some trails overlapped. In this case, segments of the Chihuahua Trail used the same or similar portions of the El Camino Real de los Texas at selected points in its trail.

This TX historical marker for the Ox-Cart Road, that is a section of the longer Chihuahua Trail, came really close to, if not overlapping, the same path as the El Camino Real de los Texas while moving through this area from San Antonio to Goliad. (There was also an active trade route called the Goliad Road, but it headed a different direction.) However the path was followed, the road known to be the Ox-Cart Road is directly associated with the Chihuahua Trail, whether it overlapped the El Camino Real or not. The THC Atlas #3892 historical marker titled Ox-Cart Road, shows on its location map (if loaded correctly) that a branch of the El Camino Real de los Texas passes very close by to the south of the location of the Ox-Cart Road marker.

Link to explanation of the Chihuahua Trail's changing geography over time and how Texas got the third and last iteration of the Chihuahua Trail:
(visit link)

THC Atlas map of Ox-Cart Road marker #3892, showing nearby path of El Camino Real de los Texas:
(visit link)

Road of Trail Name: Ox-Cart Road (as a section of the Chihuahua Trail) State: Texas County: Karnes Historical Significance: International commerce between Texas and Mexico International commerce between the USA and Mexico Facilitated settlement of Texas Stage coach stops developed along this road Transporting military supplies during and after the Mexican War Trade with Confederate Texas and Mexico during Civil War Years in use: 1848 - 1877 How you discovered it: Two Texas historical markers in Helena, TX and one marker in Karnes City, TX that all referenced the Ox-Cart Road being part of the larger Chihuahua Trail being a trade rout between Texas with Mexico. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: "Brothers on the Santa Fe and Chihuahua Trails: Edward James Glasgow and William Henry Glascow 1846-1848" by Edward James Glasgow (Author) Website Explination: http://www.calhouncountyhc.org/Chicuahua%20Trail%20Narative.pdf https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm129N9_Ox_Cart_Road https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm129PA_Thomas_Ruckman Why?: Both Mexicans and Texans used this trail to move trade goods back and forth. Europeans came to settle large parts of Texas and used it to move commerce both within Texas and into Mexico. Prior to the development of the railroad systems, the people moves around on horseback or in a cart or wagon and used what road systems happened to be available. Any known road like the Chihuahua Trail was uses because as people moved in to Texas, they quickly learned where it was and where it went. Directions: This "Ox-Cart Road" Texas historical marker is located at the southeast corner of FM 81 and County Road 302 in Helena, TX. The marker is next to the chain link fence facing FM 81. It is easily approached from the parking area in front of the Karnes County Museum at 8167 N. FM 81, Helena, TX 78118. See link to WM129N9 Ox-Cart Road: https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm129N9_Ox_Cart_Road

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/08/2020 WayBetterFinder visited it