DUANE
Duane's take
The way this marker tells it, here's what the Angelina River has seen — and friend, she has seen plenty. Back in the days when this part of the world was the northern reach of New Spain, the lands along this river were home to civilized Indians whose own word for friend — Tejas — would eventually lend its name to a republic, and then a state. That's Texas you're driving through right now.
In 1690, Spanish explorers and missionaries came through these very grounds and found a young girl with a disposition so sweet, so open to learning and to Christianity, that they called her Angelina. And before long, the river where she lived carried her name too. Now the French and the Spaniards were enemies in those years — no two ways about it — but Angelina befriended both sides, and for years she served as interpreter between worlds that otherwise had no common tongue.
A remarkable woman, by any measure. The river she named kept right on working after she did. By 1799, the Angelina had become a route for settlers pushing in from the coast toward East Texas.
Two roads crossed it — the Camino Real, the King's Highway to Mexico, and, running alongside legitimate traffic, the Smugglers' Road, favored by those who had a strong preference for not encountering tax collectors. Commerce and contraband, sharing the same crossing. Very Texas.
Then came the 1830s, and a man named John Durst saw opportunity in the current. Just south of here, he promoted a port on the Angelina for shipping cotton down to New Orleans and bringing merchandise back up in return. Cotton out, goods in — the river as a working highway.
And speaking of rivers and the people who named them, this marker takes a moment to lay out just how thoroughly the Spaniards left their mark on the waterways of Texas. The Blanco. The Brazos — river of the arms of God, if you're translating.
The Colorado, the Concho, the Comal — that one means a pan — the Frio, the Guadalupe, the Lavaca, the Llano, the Medina, the Navidad, the Navasota, the Neches, the Nueces, the Pedernales, the Pecos, the Rio Grande, the San Antonio, the San Gabriel, the Trinity, the San Jacinto. A whole geography sung in Spanish. The Anglo-American names made their way onto the map too — the Canadian, the Pease, the Red, and Devil's River.
But the river you're near right now? She carries the name of a girl who made herself a bridge between people who thought they had nothing in common. That's a fine name for a river to carry.
What the marker says
Early Texas artery of travel and transportation. Ran through lands of civilized Indians whose word "Tejas", for friend, gave name to northern part of New Spain, then to the Republic and State of Texas. Here in 1690, Spanish explorers and missionaries found a young girl eager to learn Christianity. For her sweet disposition, she was called Angelina. Her name soon was used for the river where she lived. Though French and Spaniards were enemies, Angelina befriended all, and for years acted as interpreter. Angelina River by 1799 was route for settlers to come from the coast to East Texas. It was crossed by the Camino Real (King's Highway to Mexico) and by Smugglers' Road, for those dodging tax collectors. In the 1830s, John Durst promoted on the Angelina, just south of here, a port for shipping cotton to New Orleans and receiving merchandise in return. Other Texas rivers named by Spaniards include the Blanco, Brazos (river of the arms of God), colorado, Concho, Comal (A Pan), Frio, Guadalupe, Lavaca, Llano, Medina, Navidad, Navasota, Neches, Nueces, Pedernales, Pecos, Rio Grande, San Antonio, San Gabriel, Trinity and San Jacinto. Anglo-American names for streams include Canadian, Pease, Red and Devil's River.