3,__Various efforts were made in 1916-17-18-19 to find.a route
through to California while the East stood still because no solution appeared for crossing the great waterways. In August 1919 at a conference in Houston the East asked San Antonio to assume the leadership. November, 1919, a convention was held at San Antonio at which ISO West Texans attended and they pledged to open a road across the vast West Texas ranch country. From El Paso to San Diego those people were then working to break a road across those interesting deserts and mountains. Since 1919 a group of San Antonians have been true to the stewardship imposed upon them and today the Old Spanish Trail is the nationally recognized arterial trunkline across the Southern Borderlands. The groups from the Atlantic to the Pacific that have been conquering their local difficulties and opening roads and building bridges can today look across the continent and see the culmination of their dreams.
The West Texas Travelog p. 43 tells this story in historical detail.
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DIFFICULTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
4.—Continuous paving from St. Augustine to San Antonio, and some miles westward, is now well under way. Two-thirds of the mileage of this eastern section is now paved or being paved or financed and authorized for paving. This is the astonishing record of the Old Spanish Trail development eastward. For ten and a half years we have wrestled with fearful barrier sections that have often stopped travel completely and for years kept it restricted to small volume. This has prevented the people from realizing the magnitude of the work this highway organization has been fostering and has prevented their understanding the financial support due to the national headquarters.
5-—The records gathered on the recent eastern trip show the total cost of completed roads and bridges including construction now authorized or in progress for the eastern section of the Old Spanish Trail, St. Augustine to San Antonio, as #46,968,350. The above includes the new and modern bridges but not old bridges that are to be replaced although still serving traffic. It includes the asphalt and concrete paving and the improved gravel or sand clay roads but not the unimproved roads of which about 100 miles are still unfinanced, with another 100 miles financed to be completed this year. #16,605,000 more will be needed in this eastern section to complete the paving and the bridges not now financed.
NECHES RIVER BRIDGE Old Spanish Trail at Beaumont, Texas.
Constructed (luring 1924-25. Length 1000 ft. including heavy embankment approach. Cost, bridge ,?369,000; embankment ,?47,00O: total -f-110,000.
THROUGH THE HILL COUNTRY OF WEST, TEXAS Front San Antonio to El Paso. 597 mi., is the scenic drive of the Southern Borderlands—hills, mountains, canyons, spring-water streams, resorts, camps, fishing, hunting, ranching and changing deserts. The Old Spanish Trail cuts directly through this Hill Country with Federal Standard roads. Photo, between Kerrville and Junction, Elevation 2100 ft.