El Camino Real
© PHOTO BY THE ART OF GALLIVANTING | 5/4/17
Venture back in time as early explorers and pioneering families set out on a quest for gold, geography, God, and glory.
El Camino Real
© PHOTO BY THE ART OF GALLIVANTING | 5/4/17
Venture back in time as early explorers and pioneering families set out on a quest for gold, geography, God, and glory.
El Camino Real
© PHOTO BY THE ART OF GALLIVANTING | 5/4/17
Venture back in time as early explorers and pioneering families set out on a quest for gold, geography, God, and glory.
El Camino Real
© PHOTO BY THE ART OF GALLIVANTING | 5/4/17
Venture back in time as early explorers and pioneering families set out on a quest for gold, geography, God, and glory.
El Camino Real
© PHOTO BY THE ART OF GALLIVANTING | 5/4/17
Venture back in time as early explorers and pioneering families set out on a quest for gold, geography, God, and glory.
Established in the 1680's when the Spanish set out on a determined quest for gold, geography, God, and glory,
the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail originates in Old Mexico before crossing into Texas, passing through San Antonio, nearing the Austin area, and winding into Crockett just west of the scenic Davy Crockett National Forest. Modern-day travelers can take an adventurous trek along the easternmost portion of this royal road
by beginning at Nacogdoches (Nack-a-doe-chis), the oldest town in Texas, and journeying to the trail's endpoint at Natchitoches (Nack-a-tish), the oldest town in what is now Louisiana.
Follow along in the literal footsteps of such notable figures as The Father of Texas
Stephen F. Austin, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, and many more with these significant landmarks and historic locales.
1. Stone Fort Museum
A 1936 replica of militia commander Antonio Gil Y'Barbo's Stone House was erected circa 1779 and now offers visitors a peek into the gateway for trade with the French in Louisiana and later with Americans.
The Gateway
at the Charles Bright Visitor Center
2. Nacogdoches Statue Trail
A collection of statues throughout town commemorates eleven important individuals and provides an understanding of some of the people that have played central roles in the city's history.
Mission Dolores
3. Mission Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de los Ais
Interpretive displays convey the story of Spanish relations with Native Americans and French settlers as related to the Spanish mission built in 1721 as a way station on the El Camino Real de los Tejas.
Gaines-Oliphint House
4. Gaines-Oliphint House
Built about 1818 and recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as the oldest standing log structure in Texas, the Gaines-Oliphint House may be the oldest Pre-Republic, Anglo-American structure that exists in Texas today.
Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site
5. Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site
Costumed interpreters demonstrate French Colonial life and guide visitors through a full-sized replica of an early fort which had been devised in 1714 as a trading and military outpost to counter any Spanish incursions into French territory.
See additional information below or visit:
Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau
Sabine County Chamber of Commerce
San Augustine County Chamber of Commerce
Sabine Parish Tourist Commission
Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
