San Antonio-El Paso Road
corner of 3rd and Fort St. (in front of museum), Fort Davis, TX, USA
Texas, USA
_of_Routes_from_San_Antonio_de_Bexar_to_El_Paso_del_Norte_1849_(1850)_UTA.jpg)
MARKER
TICKETED:
NO
PARKING:
NO
RESTROOMS:
NO
EST. 1840
EST. 1840
1814
HISTORIC PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE
0
HISTORIC PRESERVATION at San Antonio-El Paso Road.
The Texas Historical Commission Atlas records this marker as in situ at the listed location. It remains part of the state marker inventory; the placement description and coordinates in this row follow the current official Atlas record and should be field-verified before publication.
About San Antonio-El Paso Road
Opened in the late 1840s, the San Antonio-El Paso Road crossed the Davis Mountains toward the Pecos River. Henry Skillman began a mail courier service along the route in 1850 and partnered with George H. Giddings in 1854 to build relay stations, including one at Fort Davis. Stage traffic persisted until railroads reduced use of the road in the 1880s.
HISTORY HAPPENED HERE at San Antonio-El Paso Road
Westward expeditions opened trails from San Antonio to El Paso in the late 1840s. Two routes, called the upper and lower roads, converged at the Pecos River to traverse the Davis Mountains. Henry Skillman (1814-1864) began a courier service along the road in 1850 and was awarded a U. S. Government contract to carry the mail. He formed a partnership with George H. Giddings (1823-1902) in 1854, and they established relay stations along the route, including one at the new U. S. Army Post at Fort Davis. During the Civil War, control of the area passed to the Confederates, and Giddings continued mail service for the new government. By 1867 Fort Davis was occupied by four companies of the 9th U. S. Cavalry. After Federal reoccupation, stage and courier routes were more frequently utilized, with travelers often accompanied by Army escorts from Fort Davis and other posts. After the arrival of railroads in West Texas in the 1880s, use of overland roads declined sharply, though the trails did provide access to new settlers and were still used by the army as links between forts. Vestiges of the Old San antonio-El Paso Overland Road can still be seen in Fort Davis and surrounding areas. (Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986) Source: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5243010486
HISTORIC PLACES NEARBY
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