Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park, Austin, Texas

Ever wondered about the history of Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park, for example Why is it called "Commons Ford"? Was it a public ford of the river perhaps? Here's where the name probably comes from.

An 1880 travis county property owners map shows the land where Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park is located, appears to have been owned by one P.H. Cammans ("a" not "o"):

http://www.loc.gov/resource/g4033t.la001148/

Then a later map in 1896 shows what appears to be the same tract of land as belonging to Wm. H. Cammons, the first "a" is now an "o" .. looks like the mutation towards "Commons" has begun:

http://www.loc.gov/resource/g4033t.la001149/

The park, and the ford, are based on that ranch; which explains where the "ranch" in the park name comes from. Don't know if WH was son of PH, or if WH was another corruption / correction to PH?

I ran across this while doing research for Santa Monica Springs, which is near this ford (under the lake; on other side from park), and Dick Preece (Texas Ranger involved in "chasing Comanches") owned land just north of the river too. Verbiage I wrote on Santa Monica Springs for another post:

Santa Monica or Sulphur Springs. Brune says these springs were once the basis for Comanche and Tonkawa Indian campgrounds. Gelo called them “a watering place” for the Comanche[14] , and are about 6.6 kilometers south of Comanche Peak and Defeat Hollow, the location of an encounter between Joel Harris, an early settler to Hudson Bend, and Indians, probably Comanche.[15] The springs were also a favorite resort for early Austinites, and the waters were bottled and highly valued for medicinal purposes. It’s worth noting that the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has an incorrect location for the springs, showing them in the Steiner Ranch neighborhood by the lake. The springs were in fact on the edge of the Colorado River, and now beneath Lake Austin, located across from what is now Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park, Austin, TX.[16] (30.343658,-97.88892)

So given the history of Santa Monica springs, and Dick Preece chasing Comanches, Commons Ford is of particular interest because it was probably on a trail that ran from Comanche Peak / Deafeat Hollow just north of there (Oasis Restaurant), south entering Austin probably via the Mount Bonnell trail.

Click here for link to Austin Parks, Commons Ford Ranch Metro Park

P.H. Cammans tract. Click to enlarge

Path of the Pioneers: Bastrop to Austin (Part V)

 

Joseph Rogers, Rogers Hill Cemetery

Joseph Rogers came to Texas in 1831 with his parents, James and Joseph Rogers, from Tennessee. They settled on land including what is now called Rogers Hill, near the intersection of present day FM 969 and Decker Lane.

Joseph was granted his own league in Travis  County in 1832. He served as first lieutenant of Tumlinson's Rangers. John W. Wilbarger (brother of Josiah Wilbarger) says Joseph Rogers was one of the party that discovered Josiah Wilbarger near Pecan Springs, present day Austin after having been scalped in 1833:

The relief party consisted of Joseph Rogers, Reuben Hornsby, Webber, John Walters and others. As they approached the tree under which Wilbarger had passed the night, Rogers, who was in advance, saw Wilbarger, who was sitting at the root of a tree. He presented a ghastly sight, for his body was almost red with blood. Rogers, mistaking him for an Indian, said: "Here they are, boys." Then Wilbarger rose up and spoke, saying: "Don't shoot, it is Wilbarger."

Rogers was killed by Indians in the fall of 1837. He and several others had traveled to "Fort Prairie .. for the purpose of procuring ammunition for the settlers on the lower Colorado". Returning to Hornsby's Bend, they were attacked by Indians. Caught on open prairie they tried to outrun their attackers. Wilbarger says "The savages were mounted on good horses, but Rogers was upon a very poor animal, and they soon overtook and killed him". Jenkins says he was killed by lance. Joseph Rogers was buried in a cemetery on his parent's land, Rogers Hill Cemetery, atop Rogers Hill (30.278803, -97.639029). (Wilbarger, Depredations, pp. 261-262) (Jenkins, Recollections, pp. 46, 263) (Barkley p. 5)

A painting by George Catlin -- "Comanche (right) trying to lance Osage warrior (left)", 1834 -- provides an example of the type of mounted attack to which Rogers was subjected.

On a recent visit to Rogers Hill Cemetery I was unable to locate the grave of Joseph Rogers. Much of the cemetery is inaccessible and or hidden beneath the growth of weeds.

Built in 1836, Fort Colorado (also know as Coleman's Fort or Fort Coleman) predated the city of Austin. Built on a high hill about 5 miles east of the future site of Austin, the fort had good visibility of the Colorado River to the south, and Walnut Creek to the east.

The State of Texas erected a historical marker near the site of Fort Colorado in 1936. The marker reads:

Site of Fort Colorado (Also called Coleman’s Fort). June, 1836 - November, 1838. Established and first commanded by Colonel Robert M. Coleman. Succeeded by Capt. Michael Andrews And Capt. William M. Eastland. An extreme frontier outpost occupied by Texas Rangers to protect Anglo-American civilization from savage Indians in this vicinity.

Fort Prairie

Fort Prairie was a community that grew up around the site of the old fort in the 1880s taking its name from the former Fort Colorado. Fort Prairie appears on some old maps of Austin providing indication of the fort's location.

USGS Map of Austin from 1902 showing location of Fort Prairie

Coleman Springs

Gunnar Brune (Springs of Texas) states that soldiers from the fort used the water from nearby Coleman Springs, and that the springs were also a favorite Indian campground in earlier days. The springs are now located on land associated with the Austin Wildlife Rescue, at 5401 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX. (30.285276,-97.674621).

Coleman Springs

Strategic Location of the Fort

The fort was built to protect settlements such as Hornsby and Webberville, just to the east. But it was surely no accident that the location of the fort was in close proximity two key Indian trail fords across the Colorado River: Shoal Creek and the ford east of today's US 183 bridge, the one said to have been part of Camino Real de los Tejas.

On the map below, diamonds show the settlements of Hornsby and Webberville on what was the main east-west trail (now FM 969 / Webberville Road) from Bastrop to Waterloo (the settlement predating Austin). Circles show the segment of the Camino Real crossing the Colorado, up Walnut Creek and over to Manor. A square shows the ford at Shoal Creek. Fort Coleman sat strategically to both protect Anglo settlements and to attack Indians utilizing these trails and fords.

Path of the Pioneers: Bastrop to Austin (Part IV)

Reuben Hornsby

On FM 969, just west of TX 130 Toll Road is the Reubon Hornsby historical marker (30.255052, -97.608493):

Reuben Hornsby 1793-1879.  First Settler in Travis County. Surveyor with Stephen F. Austin's Little Colony. He surveyed the site of this settlement in 1830. In July 1832 with his family he established his home at this place, since called Hornsby's Bend

Of the Hornsbys, Noah Smithwick wrote  (pp. 191-192)

Reuben Hornsby's place .. was the first settlement made above Bastrop. The family, consisting of Reuben, senior, and wife, Aunt Sallie; their six sons: William, Malcom, Reuben, Joseph, Daniel and Thomas, and one daughter. With them came Smith Hornsby, a brother of the elder Reuben. He was accidentally killed by one of his own party in an Indian fight. The Hornsbys built themselves a strong fort, which was several times attacked, but never carried. When there were no men on hand to defend it, Aunt Sallie was equal to the task. A party of Indians once made a demonstration of attack when all the men happened to be away. There were several families stopping in the fort, and Aunt Sallie mustered the women and, commanding them to don male attire, armed them with broom sticks and sallied forth. The Indians, surprised to find the place so well garrisoned, took to their heels, leaving Aunt Sallie and her broomstick brigade in undisputed possession. To Reuben and Sallie Hornsby and their bold and hardy sons the country owes a debt which it can never repay. Pitching their camp in the very gateway of the Indian country, they not only maintained their position, but opened their doors to all who chose to avail themselves of their hospitality. Thither in times of peril other families repaired for safety, and, if they needed it, more substantial aid was generously given.

Wilbarger (p. 8) spoke highly of Hornsby as well:

Hornsby's house was always noted for hospitality, and he, like his neighbor [Josiah] Wilbarger, was remarkable for those virtues and that personal courage which made them both marked men among the early settlers. Young men who from time to time came up to the frontier to look at the country made Hornsby's house a stopping place, and were always gladly welcomed, for it was chiefly through such visits that news from the States was obtained. A more beautiful tract of land, even now, can nowhere be found than the league of land granted to Reuben Hornsby.

The party headed by John Webster, which culminated in what is known as the Webster Massacre, began their journey here at Hornsby Bend. The trail followed by the Webster wagon train will be the subject of another blog post.

Colorado River from tip of Hornsby Bend. Notice island in river, high river banks on west side

Hornsby Cemetery

Barkley (p. 5) notes that the old cabins and fort that were Hornsby were destroyed in the early 20th century, the cemetery being the best remaining reminder of the settlements presence. 

The cemetery began with the graves of Howell Haggett and John Williams, Rangers sent to Hornsbys during the Texas revolution in 1836 to help guard Hornsby's fort. The two were scalped by Indians while working in the corn fields and buried on the spot. Thus Hornsby Cemetery began.

A 1936 Texas Centennial marker is located in the cemetery in remembrance to the two Rangers. But also to the remembrance of another Ranger, William Atkinson, and Daniel Hornsby, both killed by Indians in 1845. A span of 9 years indicating just how long Indian resistance against Anglo settlement of this area persisted.  The marker reads:

To John Williams and Howell Haggett. Killed by Indians in May, 1836 while detailed from Captain John J. Tumlinson’s company of Rangers to help protect the families of the Hornsby’s settlement on returning from the “Run Away Scrape”. 

To William Atkinson. Pioneer Ranger buried near Daniel Hornsby when both were killed by Indians June 7, 1845.

As in the J.J. Manor cemetery, notice the use of crosses around the marker designating the three Rangers, Williams, Haggett and Atkinson. Hornsby Cemetery might quite possibly have the largest number of Texas Ranger burials per capita of any cemetery in the state! Upon entering the cemetery one is struck by the number of Texas Ranger crosses.














There is a second 1936 Texas Centennial marker in the cemetery dedicated to Josephus Hornsby and his wife, Eliza Ann Lane. In the photo, the historical marker is flanked by the grave markers of Josephus (l) and his wife (r):

Josephus Hornsby. To Josephus Hornsby Mar. 15, 1822 Oct. 21, 1862. Son of Reuben Hornsby; Settled here, 1832; Bastrop Ranger, 1837. In Flores Fight, 1839. Battle of Plum Creek, 1840. Brushy Fight, 1840; Vasquez and Woll Campaigns, 1842; Led fight against Indians from whom he rescued William Bell and Alexander Coleman in Austin, 1842. 

His wife Eliza Ann Lane Feb. 14, 1830 Sept 6, 1892.

The "Brushy Fight", also known as the Battle of Brushy Creek, was between settlers and Peneteka Comanches and was discussed in more detail in conjunction with the Site of Home of Robert Coleman historical marker east of here on FM 969.

Hornsby Cemetery is a Texas Historical Cemetery

Just as cemeteries mark the locations of settlements long gone, so do they sometimes mark attitudes of times past. Next to the Hornsby Cemetery is the Cementerio Mexicano. This same segregated cemetery setup -- Anglo and Mexicano -- is also seen at Jones Cemetery on FM 969 further west.

Path of the Pioneers: Bastrop to Austin (Part III)

 

Webberville

The Texas Historical Commission placed a marker here in 1997 (30.225596,-97.514005). The marker reads: 

This community was named for John F. Webber (1793-1882) who received a land grant in 1827 and settled in this area with his African American wife and children. A post office was established in 1846 for Webber’s Prairie, and by 1853 the name was changed to Webberville. Based on a cotton farming economy, the town later included gristmills, cotton mills, general stores, schools, churches, and a cemetery. The post office was discontinued in 1903. A ferry crossing on the Colorado River ceased operation in the 1920s.

Webberville historical marker in front of Ebenezer Baptist Church

Noah Smithwick (Evolution of a State) a friend of Webber, moved to Webber's Prairie in the latter part of 1839 and relates that Webber "built the first house, a fort in the prairie [Webber's fort, and that] Other settlers collected around the pioneer cabin, among whom were the Dutys, the next to locate. There were five brothers of them, Joseph, the only one who had a family, William, Matthew, George and Richard". More on Matthew & Joseph Duty shortly.

 

Webberville Ebenezer Baptist Church

Behind the Webberville historical marker is the Webberville Ebenezer Baptist Church. It too has a historical marker:

This church traces its origin to the plight of Anglo American John F. Webber, who along with his African American wife and children, settled in this sparsely populated area of Texas in 1839 to escape the racism they had experienced in towns and cities. A community known as Webber Prairie consisting of plantation owners and their slaves developed here. Racial prejudice caused Webber to sell his land to Colonel John Banks in 1851 and move his family to Mexico. 

In 1868 Matthew Duty donated one acre of land here for the purpose of building a church for the area’s recently emancipated African Americans. That year the Webberville Ebenezer Baptist Church was organized as a mission of the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association. Charter members included Thomas Reads, Suns Johnson, Lowens Berry, and Mary Green. The Rev. Wesley Barrow served as Ebenezer’s first pastor. 

In 1956 several members of the congregation left Ebenezer Baptist to form a church in Austin which became known as the New Light Ebenezer Baptist Church. Ebenezer Baptist remains active despite the relocation of many of Webberville’s families to nearby urban centers. Former members continue to gather here on special occasions and holidays.

Smithwick says Webber moved to what was then an unsettled area to escape the social stigma of those times associated with mix race marriage. "The Webber family of course could not mingle with the white people, and, owing to the strong prejudice against free Negroes, they were not allowed to mix with the slaves, even had they so desired: so they were constrained to keep to themselves. Still there wasn't a white woman in the vicinity but knew and liked [Webber's wife] Puss .. and in truth they had cause to like her, for, if there was need of help, Puss was ever ready to render assistance, without money and without price, as we old timers know. Webber's house was always open to any one who close to avail himself of its hospitality, and no human being ever went away from its doors hungry if the family knew it. The destitute and afflicted many times found an asylum there." (pp. 163-166).

 

Matthew Duty and the "Duty roan"

Next to the church sits a small cemetery in which some of the early pioneers Smithwick mentioned are buried. One is Matthew Duty whose marker reads:

Marker of Matthew Duty 1793-1837

Matthew Duty

Born 1793 Sumner Co. Tennessee

Died 1837 Webberville, Bastrop Co.

Republic of Texas

An Austin Colony Pioneer 1829-1837

Son of Solomon Duty an early Texas Pioneer

Matthew Duty was killed and scalped 

by Indians in the Spring of 1837

Jenkins recounts the story of Matthew Duty in his memoirs (Recollections, pp. 47, 66, 244). Matthew Duty had ridden out one evening to look over the crops. While out of sight he was ambushed by Indians, his horse -- known as the Duty roan -- returning home without its rider.

Earlier that year, Duty showed great heroism saving the life of Billy Hornsby in another Indian attack. Duty put himself, riding the Duty roan, between Hornsby and a band of attacking Indians, allowing Hornsby time to escape on foot.

Joseph Duty

After Matthew's death, the horse was ridden by Joseph Matthew but was captured by Indians who shot at Joseph, missed, but wounded the Duty roan. Joseph escaped on foot, but the horse was taken by the Indians. But then later in the 1840 Battle of Plum Creek against the Peneteka Comanches, Jacob Burleson shot an Indian on a horse that turned out to be the Duty roan! It was then kept and ridden by the Burlesons in many more fights against the Indians.

1880 Map of Travis County showing land owned by John F. Webber, Matthew (heirs) & Joseph Duty

Path of the Pioneers: Bastrop to Austin (Part II)

Wilbarger's Bend

Crossing west across the Colorado at Nash's Ferry, the first bend in the Colorado is Wilbarger's Bend, named after Josiah Pugh Wilbarger, most famously remembered as one of a few people to survive having been scalped by Indians. That occurred in Austin in 1832.

At the intersection of FM 969 and Wilbarger Bend Road is this marker, erected by the descendants of Josiah Wilbarger (30.175747,-97.415568). 

Wilbarger's Bend. Founded in 1827 by Josiah Pugh Wilbarger of Austin's Colony. Beginning of Wilbarger's Trace, blazed by his son James Harvey Wilbarger 1860 with slaves and ox-wagons carrying commerce to Corpus Christi and Matamoros, Mex. Erected by Descendants, 1926

Bluff Trail Overlook marker, McKinney Roughs Park

Not accessible from the east side of the river, there is a historic marker on the west side atop a high bluff with views down into the bend. This marker is in the LCRA's McKinney Roughs Park, and you'll need to hike to it along Bluff Trail. The marker is located at a spot on the trail aptly named Bluff Trail Overlook (30° 8.924′ N, 97° 27.178′ W).

From the Bluff Trail Overlook marker:

The bluff stands 80 feet above the Colorado River at Wilbarger Bend. Josiah Wilbarger was an early settler whose family owned the land on the opposite side of the river during the 1800s. Josiah was one of a few Texans who were scalped and lived to tell the story. There was also a lumber mill just east (downstream) of this overlook, known as McKinney's Mill. The mill was located on the Colorado River to transport pine, cedar and cottonwood lumber to surrounding communities along the river. The steep bluffs and canyons that are the namesakes of McKinney Roughs are the remnants of ancient oyster beds and offshore reefs. These areas are harder ground than the surrounding sandy soils that have eroded away to form the steep canyons within the park.

WILBARGER, JOSIAH PUGH (1801-1844) Josiah Pugh Wilbarger was one of the earliest settlers in Texas. Wilbarger and his wife Margaret arrived at Matagorda on Dec. 26, 1827. Wilbarger taught at Matagorda for a year before moving to La Grange, where he taught and did surveying until he settled in Stephen F. Austin's colony in a bend of the Colorado River 10 miles above the site of present Bastrop. This is the land on the opposite side of the river. He was granted a league of land (about 4,428 acres) in January 1832.

View of Willbarger's Bend from the bluff

Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church

Continuing west on FM 969, the next bend in the Colorado is Pope Bend. At the tip where FM 969 passes is another historical marker (30.188459,-97.421529), one of several on the road to Austin relating to slavery during the early years of Texas. The marker reads:

Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church. According to local tradition this site was used by area slaves for gathering purposes. Silvie Story, William Hill, Martha Young, Paulie Johnson, Grant McBride, and Martha J. Hill organized this church in 1864 with the help of the Rev. Joshua Brice. Early baptisms took place in the Colorado River. By 1900 the congregation consisted of about 20 members. The C. M. Rogers family deeded 9 acres to the church in the early 1900s. An educational facility was built in 1976 and a new sanctuary in 1988. The congregation continues to provide worship and educational services for the community.

Site of Home of Col. Robert Coleman

At the intersection of FM 969 and Comanche Trail is another 1936 Texas Centennial marker marking the home site of Col. Robert Coleman:

Site of the Home of Col. Robert M. Coleman (1799-1837). Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Aide-de-camp to Gen. Houston at San Jacinto. Commander of a regiment of Rangers 1836-37. Here his widow Mrs. Elizabeth Coleman and son, Albert V. Coleman were killed by Indians and Thomas Coleman, aged five was captured February 18, 1839. Erected by the State of Texas. 1936

A supplemental plaque was added to the marker in 1968:

Robert M. Coleman was the first "President" (title given by Mexican government) of Municipality of Mina, 1834; commandant, Fort Coleman, built 1836 for protection against Indians. A county on frontier was named for him in 1858. His homesite was about 1/2 mile to the south.

Fort Colorado, also known as Coleman's Fort, near the intersection of FM 969 and Webberville Road west of here was built in 1836 by Col. Robert Coleman and first garrisoned by companies of his ranger battalion. Coleman drowned in 1837, in Velasco, Texas, while bathing at the mouth of the Brazos River. His burial site apparently unknown. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth and their three boys and two girls who continued to live here at the Coleman home near Webberville.

In the winter of 1839 John H. Moore commanded three companies of Texas volunteers in a campaign against Comanches up the Colorado River. Early on the morning of February 14th, near the confluence of the San Saba and Colorado Rivers (present day San Saba, TX), Moore's expedition attacked a camp of sleeping Peneteka Comanches. Despite Moore's element of surprise, the assault did not go well. Noah Smithwick, a member of the expedition called the campaign "disastrous", adding that "The Comanches, thirsting for revenge, at once made a raid on the settlements" (p.157), the attack on the Coleman home being part of that raid. Trail wise it is worth noting all this activity is taking place up and down the Colorado river.

The Comanches attacked the Coleman cabin about 10 a.m. on February 18th. As described on the marker, in the ensuing fight, Elizabeth and her son Albert (14 yrs) were killed. Thomas (5 yrs) was taken hostage by the Comanches. Her eldest son, James, who was working in the fields, and her two daughters who hid inside the cabin, survived.

After attacking the Coleman cabin the Comanches attacked various other settlers in the area until evening at which time they rode north. Settlers in Bastrop organized a retaliatory expedition following the trail of the Comanches, reaching them before noon the following day north of Post Oak Island, near Brushy Creek near present day Taylor TX. The ensuing battle came to be known as the Battle of Brushy Creek.

The snippet from Cordova's 1856 Map of Texas shows the path of the Comanches, from this the site of the Coleman's home, to the Battle of Brushy Creek near Post Oak Island. So the current road "Comanche Trail" that intersects here with FM 969 is aptly named, and may well reflect the trail taken north by the Comanches.

What became of Thomas? As was sometimes the case with young children taken hostage (e.g. Cynthia Ann Parker), he apparently adapted to the lifestyle of his captors. He was located and persuaded to return to home briefly in about 1848-1849, but eventually returned to live with his Indian family for the balance of his life (Fate Worse than Death, p. 482).

Present day Comanche Trail runs north from the site of the home

View behind historical marker. Home was located 1/2 mi. south

 Click for more related info:
John Henry Moore, Handbook of Texas
Site of a Twin Blockhouse (owned by John H. Moore), historic marker

Joseph J. Manor Cemetery

Off FM 969 on a high hill overlooking Webber prairie is the Joseph J. Manor Cemetery. As a marker indicates, this is a Texas Historic Cemetery. To reach there go north on Webberwood Way, then left on Sandy Brown Ln (30.229673, -97.489637). The marker erected by the Texas Historical Commission in 2001 reads:

Joseph J. Manor (1818-1884) came to Texas from Tennessee at age twenty, settling finally in Webberville, where he acquired land and opened a store and cotton gin. He married Caroline Scott (1830-1851) in 1847; both are laid to rest here, as are other early area pioneers. Veterans of the war of 1812, the Texas Revolution, the Mexican War, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam are buried and honored at this site, some with national markers. An association formed in 1982 oversees the care of this cemetery that records the lives of many area settlers and their descendants.

Joseph J. Manor was the brother of James Manor, after which the town of Manor, Texas was named.

Joseph J. Manor, namesake of the cemetery, and wife Julia

In the cemetery is a 1936 Texas Centennial historic marker for George Self. George Self came to Texas in 1835 for one-third league of land issued to him January 19, 1838, by the Bastrop County Board of Land Commissioners. He lived in Bastrop, County until December 1845. February 1836, George Self enlisted in Captain Jesse Billingsley's company of Mina Volunteers, was discharged June 1836 and enlisted in Captain John G. McGehee's company of Mounted Riflemen November 1836. On May 1838 he received 640 acres of land for having participated in the Battle of San Jacinto (San Jacinto Museum of History, George Self biography). 

His marker reads 

"George Self. A member of Captain Jesse Billingsley’s company at the Battle of San Jacinto April 21, 1836. Died in March, 1856."

The cemetery includes a number of historic markers dedicated to Edmistons covering service in the War of 1812, Texas Revolution, the Woll Expedition, the "Archive War", Indian battles, Mexican War, and Civil War. For James and David Edmiston, notice the crosses that mark the graves of Texas Rangers.

In memory of Zubulon Edmiston. Serg. West Tenn Vols, War of 1812. Mar 20 1789 - Oct 29 1831

James Euwin Edmiston (1820-1892). An Arkansas native, James Euwin Edmiston came to Texas in 1835, settling near present Webberville. He was a Texas Ranger during the Texas Revolution, and took part in several Indian battles in this area. He was involved in the Woll Expedition and the Archive War in 1842. He later served in two Travis County Ranger companies before moving to Sonora, California, in 1849. He was awarded a pension from the State of Texas for his Republic of Texas military service.

David Crawford Edmiston (March 2, 1825 - January 8, 1903). A native of Arkansas, David C. Edmiston came to Texas with his family in 1835. As a young man David served with a frontier defense unit of the Texas Rangers. He later served as a Ranger in the Mexican War and was a soldier in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Married to the former Rhoda Bowen in 1856, he was the father of eleven children. His Webberville farmstead remains as a visible reminder of the area’s heritage.

Path of the Pioneers: Bastrop to Austin (Part I)

Mary Starr Barkley's History of Travis County and Austin: 1839-1899 is a go-to, seminal history book on early Austin and Travis County. The Austin History Center's profile on Mary Starr Barkley (AHC holds the Mary Starr Barkley Papers) describes her as a life-long Austinite (1907-1981), whose "roots in Austin extended back four generations".

The first chapter in her book is titled "Path of the Pioneers", her name for the old Bastrop to Austin road. In that chapter Barkley invites the reader to begin their exploration into the settlement of Travis County the same way the early pioneers did: from east to west along the road from Bastrop into Austin. As she so eloquently put it "Why not spend a Sunday afternoon and pursue the same path those early settlers followed .. past the places of those pioneers that are history now -- Wilbarger, Hornsby, Burleson, Rogers, Tannehill, and Manor. The roll call sounds like the roster of the Old Three Hundred".

The next five posts do just that: explore the "Path of the Pioneers" starting in Bastrop, ending in Austin.

Bastrop State Park

As we begin our journey in Bastrop, it's only appropriate to being with Bastrop's namesake. The 1936 Texas Centenial marker located in Bastrop State Park. The marker reads:

Erected in Recognition of the Distinguished Service to Texas of Felipe Entrique Neri, Baron De Bastrop 1770 - 1829. Pioneer Red River empresario. Land commissioner of Austin's colony. Member of the Congress of Coahuila and Texas. In his honor this county and county seat have been named.

As you exit the park, on the right is another historical marker describing another old trail, the Gotier Trace, and straight ahead another marker detailing the early history of Bastrop.

The Gotier Trace historical marker

The Gotier Trace. Originated in 1820s. Crossed the present counties of Austin, Washington, Fayette, Lee, Bastrop; joined San Felipe, capital of Stephen F. Austin's colony, with Bastrop. Marked by James Gotier, a settler who (with several in his family) died in an Indian massacre near this trace in 1837. Like most early Texas roads, this was only a marked route which travelers could follow-- dusty in droughts, boggy in rains. From such traces, wagon roads and cattle trails, Texas has developed over 67,000 miles of fine paved highways-- a system recognized as nation's finest.

Early History of the City of Bastrop. Long before white men arrived, this region was inhabited by Tonkawa and Comanche Indians. In 1691 the first Spanish explorers crossed this territory en route to east Texas. From their route, parts of “El Camino Real” (the King's Highway) were blazed, thus placing Bastrop on a major early travel artery. Because El Camino Real crossed the Colorado River here, this was a strategic spot. In 1805 the Fort “Puesta del Colorado” and accompanying community were founded here to protect commerce on the road. In 1825 this area became “Mina,” one of the first settlements in the colony of Stephen F. Austin. It was named for revolutionary leader Xavier Mina. In the years that followed, many members of its first 100 families served in the Texas Revolution (1836), the Mexican War (1846-1848), and were active in political life in the Republic and State of Texas. In 1837 when the town incorporated, the name was changed to “Bastrop” to honor the Baron de Bastrop, influential early land agent and statesman. The city was also designated county seat in 1837. From 1851-1870, this was seat of Bastrop Military Academy, an important Texas school. First courthouse was built in 1853; present one in 1883 on the same spot.

Bastrop Historic District

Exiting Bastrop State Park you are now on Highway 21, The Camino Real, and headed for the crossing of the Colorado. The city has placed decorative markers in the sidewalk telling the story of Bastrop and El Camino Real.

Town laid out 1832

Indian Conflicts

Old Austin Highway, FM 969

After crossing the bridge over the Colorado take a right on Old Austin Highway. The name says it all, this is the old road to Austin. This will lead you to SH 71. You briefly get on SH 71 going north, but soon take a right onto FM 969. You are back on the old road to Austin. 

Nash's Ferry Crossing of the Colorado

From SH 71 FM 969 travels north to cross the Colorado once again. This is the site of Nash's ferry crossing (30.167139,-97.404501). Signs on FM 969 direct you to the flag pole that marks the crossing.

Flag pole and plaque mark the crossing.

Plaque at base of flagpole reads: Nash's Ferry Crossing. John Dempsey "Jack" Nash. "Amiable landlord of the Colorado Valley". 1854

 An article from The Bastrop Advertiser, March 1907, details the burning of the "old Nash house" and provides a glimpse of earlier times at the ferry: 

The old Nash house, 8 miles north-west of Bastrop near what is known as the Nash Ferry, was burned last week. In early days this house was known as a stage stand, where travelers en route to and from Austin to the coast got their meals, the old Captain Jack D. Nash fed them of the best he had, and never did one feast at his table without speaking its praise. The house was built in the [eighteen] forties, of the best pine-heart timber, felled and sawed south-east of Bastrop ... In those early days it was truly a hospitable home for the weary traveler.

A view from the bridge over FM 969 provides a great view of Nash's ferry crossing

The Old Dirt Road, from Mina (Bastrop) to Austin

Below is a full text transcription of Frank Brown's Old Dirt Road, his description of the early road from Mina (later Bastrop) to Austin (Brown, Chapter 11, pp. 21-23. Transcribed from Texas State Library, Genealogy Collection's copy ).

Now online. Annals of Travis County and of the City of Austin (From the Earliest Times to the Close of 1875): Volume 5
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The Old Dirt Road

From the time of the earliest penetration of this upper valley by white men, the trail from Mina to the foot of the mountains, where Austin now stands, was along the north side of the river, and the distance was called forty miles. This trail had been partially blazed out by prospectors who came to look at the county at different times in the ‘20s. It was further defined in March, 1830, by Stephen F. Austin, with surveyors and a few colonists, who meandered the stream on its north side from Mina to the west line of the Tannehill league, some three miles east of the present Congress Avenue.

Among those who came up in 1830 [were] Reuben Hornsby, Martin Wells, Jesse Tannehill, and the Wilbargers, who had previously made their selections. But actual surveys were not made before March, 1830, as stated. All the travel from the lower country to the mountains, was over this trail. It was a rough road, over and around the hills in many places, crossing the creeks near their mouths. A rise in the river would back the water up the creeks, thereby rendering the road for a time impassable, except for horsemen, who would swim them.

The old road around Piney creek at Bastrop, following the trail, then pursued the route over the hills, crossing Sandy and Wilbarger creeks near the river; thence up the valley through Wilbarger’s prairie, Well’s prairie, Webber’s prairie, and Hornsby’s along the foot of the hills, crossing Gilleland and Walnut creeks not far from the river. The road ran over the hills in places where they bluffed on the stream. The Colorado between Bastrop and Austin is tortuous; and, as the old road conformed to the general course of the river, the distance was not less than ten miles greater than a trail that was sometimes traveled by crossing the river twice – once at Bastrop and again near the mouth of Wilbarger creek. Ox-wagons carrying freight, or families, and travelers on horseback or afoot, went the old road.

There were no regular stages until the fall of 1845. The first so-called stages, which were usually nothing but light two horse wagons, without springs, were put on by Brown and Tarbor (sic) during that year. The first Concord coach ever seen in Austin was in 1847. It was a novelty to many, especially those who had grown up in the country. It attracted much attention.

About 1850 a shorter route was opened. The road ran as before down the valley and crossed the river at the home of John D. Nash, about twenty-two miles below Austin (Nash resided upon the south bank.) From this point to Bastrop was about eight miles, the road pursuing nearly a straight course down the prairie valley, and crossing the river from the south side at the town of Bastrop, making the distance about 32 miles – a shorter and better route every way.