Lancaster Hill Wagon Ruts - SH 290 near Sheffield TX
N 30° 40.669 W 101° 40.368
14R E 243939 N 3396945
Travelers who bumped along the OST west of Ozona to Sheffield would be rewarded with an amazing view of the Pecos River Valley from Lancaster Hill, with the added sight of cool Old San-Antonio-El Paso Road wagon ruts from the 1850s.
Waymark Code: WMTW18
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/12/2017
Views: 4
Lancaster Hill is a well-known landmark in this part of Texas. It was an important vantage point for soldiers who were stationed from 1855-1871 at nearby Fort Lancaster (whose ruins you can see from here on a clear day). It was a hard climb for pioneers in covered wagons on thrir way to new lives of California gold fields.
For early-day OST travelers it was probably more a matter of nerve and tolerance for dust. This is a steep road, dirt-paved in the 1920s-30s, and the switchbacks with the views STRAIGHT DOWN are still scary in 2016
But at the top of Lancaster Hill -- WOW! What a view!
And if these travelers had sharp eyes and knew about the Old San Antonio-El Paso Road (or of they had the official OST Guide, see here: (
visit link) they'd have seen pioneer-era wagon ruts from that road winding down Lancaster Hill, and they'd probably thank their lucky stars that all they had to do was drive down, not try to control oxen and a wagon!
After 1951, OST travelers had the luxury of a spiffy new picnic area at this spot, donated in 1951.