PIONEER DAYS ON THE TRAIL
San Antonio’s Old Time Importance
Trails from early times have existed between San Antonio and San Diego. San Antonio was the meeting place and clearing house for the North and East and Mexico and California. The San Fernando Cathedral plaza at San Antonio was the terminal and changing point for all the trails. The Old Spanish Trail monument now stands by the Cathedral.
In 1772 the King of Spain ordered a chain of missious and presidios from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of California with San Antonio. Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico as the northern outposts. After the Mexican War, 1S10-47. the United States established a chain of forts as indicated in the old advertisement below. Then came the perilous overland journeys—the little courageous groups, the mule pack-trains, later the freighters with their strings of mules and groaning wagons, then the fast stagecoach, then the railroad and now the motor highway.
(Reproduced by Old Spanish Trail from Texas Almanac of 1850)
OVERLAND TO THE PACIFIC
The San Antonio and San Diego Mail-Line
PASSENGERS TICKETED TO AND FROM SAN ANTONIO AND
Fort Bliss,
El Paso,
Fort Fillmore, La Mesilla,
Tucson, Arizona, Fort Yuma, Sari Diego
■ Line leave semi-monthly from each end, on tbo 9th
Fort Clark,
Fort Hudson,
Fort Lancaster,
Fort Davis,
The Coaches of our 1-----------------  „
nnd 2Ilh of each month, nt G o’clock, A. M.
An armed escort travels through the Indian country with.each mall trnln, for the protection of the mails nnd passengers..
Passengers are provided with provisions during the. trip except where the Conch stop3 nt Public Houses along tho JAne, at which each Passenger will pay for his own mcnl.	,
Each rasserger is allowed thirty pounds of personal baggage, exclusive of blankets and arms.
Passengers coming to San Antonio can take the lino of mall steamers from New Orleans twice a week to Indlanoln. from flic latter place tbero la a dally lino of four horse mall conches direct to this place.
On the Pacific side the California Steam Navigation Company nro running n first class steamer, semi-monthly, to and from San Francisco and San Diego
FARE OH THIS LINE AS FOLLOWS. INCLUDING RATION'S
San Antonio to San Diego, §200	Sun Antonio to El Paso. $1Q0
•*	“ Tucson,	ICO	Intermediate stations 15c per milo
Extra baggage, when carried, 40 cents per pound to El Paso, and per pound to San Dlogo.
Passengers can obtain nil necessary outfits In San Antonio.
For further Information, nnd for the purchase of tFko’s, apply nt the office of the Company In this city, or address I. C. WOODS. Superintendent of the Hue, caro of American Coal Company, 50 Exchange Place, New York.
G. H. GIDDINGS R. E. DOYLE,
Proprietors.
THIS LINE which has been In successful operation since July, 1857, i8 ticketing PASSENGERS, through to San Diego, nn«l also to nil Intermediate stations. Passengers and E:#.ress matter forwarded In NEW COACHES drawn by six mules over the 'entire length of our Line, excepting the Colorado Desert, of ICO miles, which wo cross on mule back. Passengers gunr-ontred in their tickets to ride In Coaches, excepting tbo 100 miles, above ctated.