No Man's Land: A History of El Camino RealNardini, Louis Raphael
History
No Man's Land: A History of El Camino Real
Nardini, Louis Raphael
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail (Tex. and La.); Louisiana -- History
This El Camino Real, which we in Louisiana and Texas are interested in,
began in Mexico City and ended at the “Old Darkey” Statue, at the North
end of Front Street in the City of Natchitoches, Louisiana. Some say
that El Camino Real begins in San Antonio, Texas, and ends in
Natchitoches, Louisiana. I believe this is wrong because the very name
of the Road, “El Camino Real, the Road to the King,” bears out my
theory. I will explain: if one left Natchitoches (I speak of the time
when Louisiana was under Spanish domination) and wished to go to the
King by El Camino Real, or to the one who directly represented the King
in this new country, he would have had to travel to Mexico City and
there tell his troubles to the Viceroy, the direct representative of the
King of Spain. This would have been between the years 1762 when France
gave Louisiana to Spain, and ten years later when Los Adais was
abandoned and the site of government moved to Natchitoches, thus filling
in the last gap on the Road now known as El Camino Real, (the section of
road from Los Adais near Robeline, Louisiana to Natchitoches). Until the
year 1762 Los Adais was the site of Government of the “Tejas,” or “Texas
Country.” This area extended from the Presidio Del Norte, as the French
called this Spanish Outpost on the Rio Grande River, or El Presidio San
Juan Bautista, as it was known to the Spanish. Now, let us pick up the
traveler again who had business with the King, past Los Adais,
Nacogdoches, San Antonio, the Presidio Del Norte, Saltillo and Queretaro
and then to Mexico City and the Viceroy, whose word was final on all
matters concerning the Government and the people, and, of course, that
covered everything.
The Caddo Federation of Indians
The southeastern part of Oklahoma, the southwestern part of Arkansas,
the Northwestern half of Louisiana and the Northeastern part of Texas
was Caddo land, and claimed by the Caddos as their hunting ground. The
Caddos were traders and developed trade-routes. Many of the highways of
today follow the Caddo trails of yester-year, such as El Camino Real,
that portion from the Trinity River in Texas to Natchitoches, Louisiana.
When the Caddo Nations split they settled themselves as follows:
1. The Attaquopois, at the confluence of the Kiamechi River and the
Red River in southern Oklahoma.
2. The Caddoquopois or Caddo proper remained on the Red River near
Fulton, Arkansas.
3. The Peticaddo on Caddo Lake hear Shreveport, Louisiana.
4. The Koasatti near Coushatta, Louisiana.
5. The Destonies on Saline Bayou near Winnfield, Louisiana.
6. The Yatasse on Nantanchie Lake near Montgomery, Louisiana.
7. The Natchitoches on the Red River at Natchitoches, Louisiana.
8. The Adais near Robeline, Louisiana, on a large lake now called
Spanish Lake.
9. The Ais at San Augustine, Texas.
10. The Nacogdoches at Nacogdoches, Texas.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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