Historic Places: El Camino Real, Sabine Parish Source: Sabine Index, Many, La., Apr 21, 1999 Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck carlrad@earthlink.net ********************************************************** ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ************ El Camino Real, meaning the King's Highway in Spanish, or the San Antonio Trace, its American name, is one of America's most historic roads. This road to Mexico started at Natchitoches, the oldest town in the Louisiana Purchase, and led to the site of the Spanish Mission and Presidio of Los Adaes, hence to Sabine Parish past Fort Jesup, the vanished site of Shawneetown, through Many and meandered westward past the Block House to cross Sabine into Texas at Pendleton Ferry, through San Augustin, Nacogdoches, San Antonio and ultimately to Mexico City. Long before the white man came, the road was a buffalo trail and followed generally the ridge-tops from the Red to the Sabine rivers. Naturally, the trail became an Indian path, connecting with three of the comparatively few Indian paths in Louisiana. These were the Caddo Path, leading northward by Grappe's Bluff and along the eastern shore of Lake Bisteneau through the Caddo villages of Northwest Louisiana and into Arkansas; the Ouachita Path leading northeastward to the Ouachita and up to Hot Springs; and leading directly eastward to the great village of the Natchez on the Mississippi River. Louis Juchereau de Saint Denis, founder of Natchitoches in 1714, was the first white man to follow the route. This brave and romantic cavalier set out on horseback over this path from Natchitoches to San Juan Baptiste on the Rio Grande and Mexico. His mission was to open trade relations between the French frontier at Natchitoches and the Spanish frontier on the Rio Grande. This was in defiance of Spanish colonial policy. This colorful adventure by St. Denis into Spanish territory is retold each summer in an outdoor drama in Natchitoches, entitled "Louisiana Cavalier", sponsored by the Louisiana Outdoor Drama Association. His company of frontier veterans included Jalot, his surgeon-valet, and Penicaut, a master carpenter, whose journal of the trip provided history with a rare eye-witness account The story of their journey over the uncharted route across Texas, the arrest of St. Denis by the Spaniards, his imprisonment, his diplomacy, his release, his romantic courtship of and marriage to the Senorita Emmanuella, daughter of his captor, forms an epic unmatched in the annals of American adventure, according to J. Fair Hardin, author of "Northwest Louisiana". He made several trips over the route in futile attempts to overcome Spanish jealousy and selfish colonial policy. Coming eastward from Mexico over the road in 1717 was one of the noblest characters in Spanish colonial history. Father Margil de Jesus, chief of the Zacatecan friars. This indomitable missionary of the cross carried the banner of Spain and church across the plains of Texas, across the Neches, across the Brazos and finally across the Sabine. He established seven missions in East Texas, the most eastern being the Mission de los Adaes near Robeline. The French resented the bold approach of the Spanish to within 16 miles of their frontier post of St. Jean Baptist at Natchitoches. They claimed that their territory extended westward to the Brazos. Within less than two years soldiers from Natchitoches captured the mission and carried away the sacred vessels. The largest and most martial force that it had yet known passed over the road during the summer and fall of 1721. Marquis de Aquayo, a wealthy Spanish nobleman, set out with a force of nearly 600, including 100 soldiers and colonists, with cannon, horses, supplies and pack trains to re-establish the mission which Father Margil had founded among the Ades. Their object was also to protect the mission with a presidio or fort against another capture by the French. They reached the ruins of Los Adaes in October and soon built a much finer Mission called the Mission San Miguel de los Adaes with priests' homes around it. Across the valley on another hilltop they erected the palisaded Presidio Neustra Senora del Pilar de los Adaes with barracks, powder magazine, church, guardhouse, commandant's quarters, surrounded by homes of the colonists. Thus was erected the only Spanish mission in Louisiana and the presidio that was destined to be the Spanish capital of the great province of Texas for 50 years. The road connected the frontiers of the two great colonial empires of France and Spain in the west. It was also the route that connected this eastern-most frontier post of Spain with San Antonio de Bexar, the Rio Grande and Mexico. The Spanish would not buy from the French, who obtained supplies fairly easily by water from New Orleans, so supply trains for the garrison came over El Camino Real from Mexico. Priests also traveled it to visit this far flung mission, and over it passed soldiers and visiting officials. Traffic was also brisk between Los Ades and Natchitoches for smuggling was quite common. There was much visiting back and forth despite official discouragement. Intermarriages took place between the inhabitants of the two frontier settlements, and the priests at one place were often called upon by the other to say mass or to perform marriages or burials. The succession of Louisiana from France to Spain in 1768 led to the removal of the mission and fort to San Antonio. Spanish cargoes then moved up the Red River to Natohitoches and over El Camino Real into east and middle Texas. The border dispute between the United States and Spain following the cession of Louisiana to the United States in 1803 brought the first American soldiers over El Camino Real to Los Adaes. There Captain Turner met Spanish Corporal Gonzales and compelled him in writing to retire west of the Sabine. However, the following year the Spaniards led by General Herrera were back in force over El Camino Real. General James Wilkinson led an American army out of Natchitoches over the old road to the Block House where it appeared a battle was inevitable. Arriving at Wilkinson's camp that night was Swartout, the emissary from Aaron Burr, who conferred secretly with Wilkinson. Wilkinson hurriedly made an agreement with Herrera, which avoided a battle and created the infamous "Neutral Strip". Herrera agreed to withdraw west of the Sabine and Wilkinson agreed to withdraw east of the Aroyo Hondo. This agreement lasted until the Treaty of 1819 when the Sabine was established as the western border. Natchitoches, as an important American garrison town, became widely known as the terminus of the San Antonio Trace, a convenient starting point for those "going to Texas." American settlers bound for Texas began to pass over the old road on horseback and in wagons. This traffic led to the darkest days of the old road's history. Travelers and settlers began to be attacked crossing the "Neutral Ground" by bands of organized robbers and land pirates, whose bloody deeds have left a lore of legend equaled only by the stories of the Natchez Trace. The need for protecting the frontier caused General Edmund Pendleton Gaines to send another famous military traveler over El Camino Real. It was Colonel Zachary Taylor with a company of soldiers who established Fort Jesup beside the famous road. Thereafter all the garrison supplies, all detachments of soldiers to and from the garrison as well as many visitors traveled the road from Natchitoches to Fort Jesup. Other famous soldiers who traveled the road were Colonel James B. Many General Adkinson, Lt. Bonneville, General Twiggs, General Harney, General Hardee and General Ingalls. Sabine Parish seat was named for Col. Many and Capt. Bonneville later became famous as an explorer of the West. Texas history was also made over El Camino Real. Stephen F. Austin landed from a steamboat at Natchitoches in 1821 and traveled over the route to found the American colony, which became the commonwealth of Texas. James Bowie went from his home in Rapides Parish over the road to cast his lot with Texas. David Crockett passed over the road from Natchitoches in 1835 to meet immortality in the Alamo. In the same year Albert Sydney Johnston traveled the road from his brother's plantation (Senator Josiah Johnston) in Rapides to meet General Sam Houston in Nacogdoches and fight for Texas independence. When the war was over the route enroute to Tennessee stopping at Fort Jesup where he was presented a sword. General Gaines returned to Fort Jesup on El Camino Real in 1835. He built the Block House nearer to the Sabine and led his soldiers to the capture of Nacogdoches. He built "Gaines Military Road", and his brother established Pendleton Ferry. The old Trace was daily trod by martial feet. With Texas independence came 10 years of busy activity for the old road. These were the immigrant years, and immigrants on horseback and covered wagons camped along the road for miles waiting their turn to ferry the Sabine. Zachary Taylor returned in 1844 and 1845 leading the " Army of Observation"' which was concentrated for the invasion of Mexico and the start of the Mexican War. During this period Lt. U.S. Grant rode back and forth over El Camino Real between dances at Natchitoches and poker games at Fort Jesup. The troops then marched eastward to Natchitoches to board boats for New Orleans and Corpus Christi and the invasion. Up until the stirring days of the War Between the States, the old road was one of peace. Then Dick Taylor, son of Zachary Taylor, led his soldiers over the eastern end of the road enroute to his victory at Mansfield. Green and Walker brought their Texas reinforcements over the road and past the ruins of Fort Jesup to join him at Pleasant Hill. During the good roads movement in Louisiana, the old road was first graveled and then paved, and finally the two states bridged the Sabine River at Pendleton Ferry. In 1965-66 El Camino Real (Louisiana Highway 6) was paved and widened between Natehitoches and Many, and in 1968 a new 2.8 mile Pendleton Bridge over Toledo Bend Lake was dedicated. Gov. Edwin Edwards designated Louisiana's El Camino Real as a historic state highway in 1973, and the state highway department adopted a resolution declaring the route from Clarence to the Texas border as El Camino Real. Behind the movement was Albert J. Meek of Shreveport, president of the La-Tex Better Roads Association in El Camino Real Country.