ar\d San Elizario (El Paso Valley) about 1683,.. , „E1 Paso del Norte (Juarez), 16 59.,-Sante Fo' and other settlements northward, beginning 1598.....Tucson (San Xavier del 3ac Mission), 1700....San Diego de Alcala', 1769.
There were many other settlements in this Old Spanish Trail country and down in Old Mexico and now accessible by automobile. Missions and colonies wore extended out into all fields. Both Franco and Spain pioneered in Old Louisiana.
VII
FRENCH AND SPANISH PLACE-NAMES. LANGUAGE AND CUSTOMS Most of the rivers that are crossed end many other geographical places carry Spanish names or Spanish rendering of Indian names except in Old Louisiana (Mobile, Alabama to Lafayetto, Louisiana) where French names prevail. French language, customs and architecture give Old Louisiana its colorful touches. Spanish language, customs and architecture clothe other sections with charm. In the Old Louisiana sector French and creole cooking is enjoyed.. Along the western sector are the Spanish-Mexican restaurants with their-bane.les,, tortillas, chili con carne, enchiladas, frijoles and other foods. Old French peasantry is still seen in Old Louisiana, and old Spanish-Mexican in the Fast.
VIII
THE EASTERN TRAIL Along the Gulf of Mexico the settlements were at the Gulf harbors: then overland trails developed to connect those settlements. By 1718 an eastern trail (csmino real in Spanish) connected Saint Augustine, Pensacola, Mobile, Biloxi and New "Orleans,
IK
THE MIDLAND TRAIL Between New Orleans and San Antonio the modern highway is built across South Louisiana and South Texas thru New Iberia, Lake Charles, Beaumont and Houston but the old trails were farther north. The French established one of their outposts on the Red River in northwest Louisiana, founding Natchitoches in 1714. The Spanish had previously, in 1690, established a mission among the Te'jas (Texas) Indians west of Natchitoches-—but abandoned in 1693. In 1716 this mission and five others were located there to protect Spanish territorial claims against the French; one was within 15 miles of the French Natchitoches and there in 1721 a presidio was also built and that settlement, Los Adaes,is now Robeline, Louisiana, The midland trail therefore developed between"New—Orleans and San Antonio thru the French Natchitoches and this Spanish mission group. In Texas it became the noted Old San Antonio Road,
K
THE WESTERN TRAILS In Mexico and the West, Spanish trails (camino real—king’s highway) progressed northward from Mexico City as missions and settlements were established.....the one thru eastern Mexico and San Antonio to Nacogdoches, Los Adaes and the other East Texas. missions and settlements.;another thru Central Mexico and El Paso del Norte to the Santa Fe'missions and settlements in New Mexico,..., another thru western Mexico to the missions and settlements of the Nogales and Tucson country of southern Arizona. From Tucson country a trail followed the Gila River down to its junction with the Colorado River at the present Yuma. Arizona, and from there to San Diego, California, and to the other California missions and settlements, A western trail developed eastward-westward connecting the settlements from San Antonio to San Diego, A Spanish trail developed along the Pacific Coast connecting those twenty-one missions of California. Others of those primitive highways came into service as settlements spread about; in history, the canino real of the respective localities.
XI
THE MODERN HIGHWAY An organization to foster the construction of the modern highway was formed at Mobile, Alabama, in 1915. The national headquarters was transferred to San Antonio, Texas, in 1919, In 1922 the Washington Declarations gave the project national recognition and importance. The new highway was dedicated at Saint Augustine, Florida in 1929 as a completely opened travelway. The monument and the three days’ dedication pageantry cost Saint Augustine $16,000. The Spanish Government sent Don Rafael Casaros Gil as representative of the King of Spain. A motorcade to the dedication ceremonies, lod by a large delegation from San Diego, California, crossed the continent averaging 271 miles a day for 11 days, keeping to schedule like a railroad train, thereby establishing before the world the progress of she great construction work connecting the two oceans across tho big rivers and bays in the East, and the princely cattle ranches of Texas, and the mountains of the West,
;-The date commonly given is 1718. In 1709 the San Pedro Springs vrerr. named■.
1715 families were settled; in 1716 a mission was Iccatni; I:,. I' 13 th- v.'.r s ion :<\.-Alamo and a presidio were established a .id c.V-.-: importance of ib.e settlemort f! iT'l.y