San Antonio-El Paso Road, Fort Davis, Texas - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

The following is what is on the marker: Westward expeditions opened trails from San Antonio to El Paso in the late 1840s. Two routes, called the upper and lower roads, converged at the Pecos River to traverse the Davis Mountains. Henry Skillman (1814-1864) began a courier service along the road in 1850 and was awarded a U. S. Government contract to carry the mail. He formed a partnership with George H. Giddings (1823-1902) in 1854, and they established relay stations along the route, including one at the new U. S. Army Post at Fort Davis. During the Civil War, control of the area passed to the Confederates, and Giddings continued mail service for the new government. By 1867 Fort Davis was occupied by four companies of the 9th U. S. Cavalry. After Federal reoccupation, stage and courier routes were more frequently utilized, with travelers often accompanied by Army escorts from Fort Davis and other posts. After the arrival of railroads in West Texas in the 1880s, use of overland roads declined sharply, though the trails did provide access to new settlers and were still used by the army as links between forts. Vestiges of the Old San Antonio-El Paso Overland Road can still be seen in Fort Davis and surrounding areas.

Typically the term "The Overland Trail' is used to describe either the "California Oregon Trail" running from Kansas to California and Oregon, or the Butterfield stage route from St Loius through Indian Territory and the southwest to California. In practical terms there were many "overland" routes to California and the San Antonio El Paso Road was the main far southern route within the United States. Explored and surveyed by the United States Army to provide the most expeditious route to the west it served to funnel immigrants and supplies to the west for over 30 years until the coming of the railroads sounded its death knell.

The road through West Texas was protected by a string of forts, with this specific section of the road falling under the protection of nearby Fort Davis. Certainly not as famous as its better known northern counterparts, it never the less played an important part in settling the country. An excellent article on this trail can be found here.

The trail today looks very different than it did some 140 yeas ago, but in a way it is has some similarities, for one thing this section has never been paved. Links with the past, sometimes we just have to close our eyes and imagine what used to be.

Road of Trail Name: San Antonio-El Paso Road State: Texas County: Jeff Davis County Historical Significance: It was the southern route to the California gold fields. Years in use: 30 How you discovered it: Found out about it while staying in Fort Davis, Texas for a few days. Website Explination: http://www.over-land.com/elpaso_road.html Why?: For people living in the southern states in the middle of the 19th century, the quickest way to California was head directly west, across Texas, and what is now New Mexico and Arizona, to California. People were also settling across this vast territory and the need for freight and supplies, as well as a mail route was imperative, and thus it was used by mail riders, stagecoaches, and government wagon trains. Think of it as the 1880's version of I-10. Directions: The museum is at the corner of Fort and 3rd street in Fort Davis, Texas, just 2 blocks off Hwy 17. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/11/2010 Benchmark Blasterz visited it