Unveiling the First Road Signs along El Camino Real de los Tejas at Apache Pass
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Apache Pass river crossing
Contact: Steve Gonzales, 512-850-9073 Contact: Dr. Lucile Estell, 512-446-5372 Hit the Trail! Join us at Apache Pass for the unveiling of the first ever official National Park Service signs along El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail on Monday, October 8, 2012 at 10:00 AM. The event will feature a formal unveiling of the signs by US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Apache Pass is located at 9112 North FM 908, Rockdale Texas 76567. From the east: Take US Highway 79 into downtown Rockdale and turn left on FM 908. Follow FM 908 for 8 miles and you will see the entrance to Apache Pass on your right-hand side. From the west: Take US Highway 79 into Thorndale and turn left onto FM 486 at the red traffic light in Thorndale. Follow FM 486 until you get to FM 908. Turn right on FM 908. Continue straight on FM 908 and you will see Apache Pass on your left-hand side. Event Schedule, Monday, October 8, 2012, 10:00 AM:
El Camino Real de los Tejas connected a series of Spanish missions and posts, from the Río Grande to Los Adaes (first capital of the Texas province), now in northwestern Louisiana. Centuries before the arrival of Spanish explorers, American Indians developed trade routes that linked native communities across hundreds of miles. Beginning in the 1680s, development of the road by the Spanish drastically changed native cultures by making them part of a broader exchange of new ideas and technologies, and exposing them to Old World diseases to which they had little resistance. Congress designated El Camino Real de los Tejas as a national historic trail in 2004 as part of the National Trails System. El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail works with partners to protect, develop, and promote the trail for public use and benefit. Learn more at www.nps.gov/elte More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 395 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov |
Did You Know?
The history and use of El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail transcends three historic periods - the Spanish colonial period, the Mexican period, and the Anglo-American period.