The Sutton County Courthouse in Sonora is a significant local landmark from pioneer times, and as such, of course the OST passed by right in front of the courthouse grounds.
Sonora is an oasis on the OST, probably the best place to stop between Junction and Balmorhea. The Sutton County Courthouse grounds were (even then) blessed with huge spreading live oak trees nourished by significant abundant groundwater supplies. That groundwater resource led the founders of Sonora to not only put the county seat here, but also to drill a well that served the whole town on the corner of the grounds.
Even though the admittedly unattractive waterworks were sold off and removed in 1898, the well and windmill remained for many years, and would have promised a vast supply of cool water and shade for hot bodies and hotter radiators to cool off with, before resuming a dusty journey through West Texas on the OST.
The vestiges of the Old Spanish Trail in Texas are found on the various Main Streets that run through the center of little downtowns and on the frontage roads that parallel the modern I-10 highway. Many of the FM roads, State Loops, and State Highways that parallel, diverge from, and return to the I-10 as it makes its way from San Antonio to El Paso. That's where you will find what’s left of the old US 290, known before 1926 in this part of West Texas as the Old Spanish Trail.
In Sonora, the OST in its earliest 1916 routing came into town on SH 27 from Junction. We were able to see the old Sonora TexDOT maps from 1987 online. Those maps still showed old SH 27. From those, we were able to retrace the old OST route onto modern maps, and see how it had changed over the decades.
In 1922, SH 27/OST came to Sonora on SE2nd street from the east. Then it turned onto South Water Avenue to pass in front of the courthouse, before turning south onto Main street through downtown, and eventually leaving town along N Crockett Street/US 290/277.
We know that our tracing of the OST through Sonora is correct because of a very subtle bit of evidence we have already waymarked: The Federal Aid project marker at the corner of Main and Water Avenue.
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This FAP marker proves that the earliest route of the OST through Sonora headed into downtown on SE 2nd Street to Water Avenue, before turning south on Main Street then leaving town along what is the modern SL 467.
In 1926, the OST through Sonora was designated by the US and state governments as the US 290. Part of the OST was also co-signed with the US 277, whose route was first laid out from Wichita Falls to Del Rio in 1932. In 1968 the US 290 designation was dropped, and what had been the US 290 in Sonora was redesignated SL 467.
The old SH 27 actually tracks pretty close to the modern SL 467, except it enters town on SE 2nd street, instead of North or South Crockett Avenue (depending on which side of Main Street you were on), and it doglegs to go through downtown, where the SL 467 goes past downtown without going through it.
Despite all the name and routing changes, you can still see the traces of the OST era as you drive through Sonora, if you pay attention.
State Loop 467 branches off from the I-10 east of Sonora, at I-10 exit 404. After crossing over the I-10, it follows the route of Crockett Avenue/Old US 290/Old Spanish Trail through Sonora until it rejoins the I-10 west of town.