Mission Tejas

Decided to get away from Nacogdoches for a break and went west on Hwy 21 40 miles to Mission Tejas State Park.  It was not a big park and parking my 40' rig took some extra thought, but all worked out well.

The important thing was to get out into the woods again and enjoy nature, walking quiet trails and listening to birds and leaves and other gentle sounds not found often in town.

The Mission dated from earliest attempts by the Spanish government and the church, to lay claim to lands west of the Mississippi, before France did.

The missionaries were too harsh to the Indians and were forced by them to leave...abruptly.

A reproduction of the missions church or meeting building stands high on a hill and was interesting, but moreso to me was the ability to walk on part of the original Camino Real...the Kings Road.

                                                                   Original foot path.

                                                             Original wagon road.

Originally a path probably of native American origin running in a basic east west direction, it became a route for the Spanish on horseback and later their wagons for trade and expansion into the south of Texas from Mexico.