Bluntzer. Texas 5/2S/20.
C. W. Gibson, Director, Commercia1 Association, Corpus Christ!, Texas.
Dear Sir:
In answer to your c0mnunication of the 19th inst., I am sorry to say that my information on the subject is very limited.
And unfortunately all my old Spanish maps, charts. Mss. and old histories were destroyed by the flood last September. All that I certainly know about old roads in Texas is that in 1689 De Leon whilst searching for the few remaining followers of La Salle opened the old La Bahia or Goliad road. This road crossed the Nueces at what is still known as DeLeon's crossing near the village of the Lipans about 5 miles above San Patricio--passed the Guadalupe at Mission Valley, the Colorado at LaC-range, the Brazos at Bashing-ton and the Trinity at Robinson's Crossing.
Anthony Crozat received a grant of Louisiana from Louis the fourteenth of Prance and he attempted to open up a trade with Mexico and St. Denis laid off a road through Texas to the Rio Grande. St. Denis' road entered Texas at Gaines' Perry, passed NacoGoches. Mound Prairie, Robinson's Crossing, the Brazos near Tenorticlan "Burleson Go." the Colorado at Bastrop and through San Antonio to El Presidio on the Rio Grande.
In 1805 Gov. Cordero and Gen. O'Herrera opened the Atasco— Site road. This road crossed the Colorado at Columbus, the Brazos at San Pelipe and the Trinity at Liberty.
f'	The	old	road	used	by	the	missions near the coast started
f at the Mission Valley, passed La Bahia "Goliad" crossed the Nueces i at Lapantitlan thence to El Chareo PredonGo Baluarte and Las- Animas \ to the Puo Graiido . At each of these places there was a fort with a '^company of soldiers for the protection of travellers.
Long before the advent of the white men the Indians had many trails from different parts to The Sacred lake of El Sal del Rey or great Salt Lake of the King-. This is one of the most wonderful salt lakes in the U. S. The salt forms in layers "like ground ice" at the bottom of the lake and when removed is completely replaced in about 28 days. No living organism exists in its waters. The lake is of an oval form and covers an area of about 700 acres of land.. During the Civil Tar thousands of tons of salt from this lake was carried to the Southern States.
The Matamoras road from San Patricio to Matamoras was established about 1831.
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