A state historic marker in nearby Geneva says that the historic Spanish rancho known as El Lobanillo was located nearby. The rancho included the pueblo of Gil Y'Barbo (1729-1809), a refuge used by his ailing mother and other refugees in 1773 when Spain evacuated colonists from western Louisiana and East Texas. It was given as a land grant to Juan Ignacio Pifermo in 1794, and inherited in the early 1800s by John Maximillian (ca. 1778-1866).
Two sets of deep and parallel swales extend about one-quarter mile through the forest. One set of swales has seven parallel ruts reaching a depth of 18 feet and 12 feet wide. The quiet surroundings and tall pine trees give a sense of what the area was like hundreds of years ago.
For more site information:
El Camino Real de Los Tejas National Historic Trail Association
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
A map of Passport and Places to Go locations for National Historic Trails.