All credit for this article goes to
the Rockdale Reporter
the Rockdale Reporter
Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
Driving Milam’s King's Highway
History trail on the road to becoming ‘El Camino Reality’
Rockdale Reporter - January 24, 2013
Up until now the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail in Milam County
has been mostly talk.
The “Royal Road,” also called The King’s Highway, will become reality. Signs denoting a
50-mile plus driving tour of Milam’s part of the two-century-old thoroughfare will go
up soon.
The Reporter drove the tour last week. See Editor Mike Brown’s column, page 4A for a
full report. The tour links with US 79 at FM 486 in Thorndale and FM 2095 in Gause.
It includes a couple of “spurs,” all of historic FM 908 is on the tour and a side trip
off FM 2027 down County Road 264 past Sugarloaf Mountain ends at the Faubion footbridge
over the Little River and a view back to Suglarloaf.
In between the tour swings by the Apache Pass historic crossing of the San Gabriel
River and the sites of all three 18th Century Spanish missions.
The historical marker for one of those missions, San Ildefonso, was moved in
preparation for the driving tour.
In 1936 the marker was placed north of the river on County Road 428. Historians have
noted for decades that’s the wrong location since all three missions were south of the
river.
The marker had been moved to the correct location on CR 429, just south of FM 908.
In between, the tour swings through rich blackland farm country, shaded gravel country
lanes and into the east Milam hills which provide “mountainous’ vistas even county
natives may not know about
Signs will direct travelers to the trail’s points of interest.
Texas Historical Marker denoting site of San Indefonso Mission was in the wrong place for 77 years. It’s been moved to the proper location, south of FM 908 on County Road 429, as part of the preparation for El Camino Trail to become a reality.
Photos by Mike Brown
Right: Motorists who follow the full 50-mile-plus trail through Milam County will see varied scenery from a ‘little house on the (blackland) prairie’ near Thorndale to a big house in the middle of the gorgeous Valhalla Farms horse facility on FM 487.
Late afternoon sun casts shadow of the Sheckles Bridge onto San Gabriel River as the trail tour swings north on CR 429.
Above, tour (in blue) includes all of FMs 908, 1600 and 2095, parts of FM 486, CR 429 and CR 264.
At left,
Milam Mountain Majesty? Yes, this photo was taken in Milam County, off FM 2095, all of which is on the trail tour
Milam Mountain Majesty? Yes, this photo was taken in Milam County, off FM 2095, all of which is on the trail tour
‘HOME’ ON THE TRAIL—The El Camino Real de los Tejas NationalHistoric Trail Association’s board of directors met at Rockdale’s city library Thursday and Friday. That board, which includes members from many Texas locations, will hold all its meetings in Rockdale, according to Dr. Lucile Estell (red jacket, left center) of Rockdale, who is the board’s president. To Dr. Estell’s left is Joy Graham, also of Rockdale, board vice-president. Main topic of discussion was historic trail signs, which are scheduled to go up soon in MIlam County, the first county along the trail to receive signage. See pages 4A and 1B for a preview of the El Camino Real Driving Tour by The Reporter.
.
.