Approximate Location of the Missions

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's what happened right here — or close enough to here that it counts. Three missions. Three names that roll off the tongue like a Sunday prayer.

San Francisco de los Neches. Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción. San José de los Nazonis.

Say them slow and you can almost hear the bells. Franciscan missionaries established all three of them out in East Texas in 1716. The purpose, as the marker puts it straight, was the Christianizing and civilizing of the Indians in the region.

That was the Spanish colonial mission — in every sense of the word. Now, East Texas in those days wasn't exactly a settled situation. And in 1719, the French came pressing in from Louisiana.

That was enough. The missions were abandoned — temporarily, mind you, but abandoned all the same. Then along comes the Marquis of Aguayo.

In 1721, he restored them. Just like that, the missions were back in business. But they weren't done moving.

In 1730, the whole operation pulled up and relocated to the Colorado River. And then, just one year later, in 1731, they found their permanent home — on the San Antonio River. And here's where the names change, the way things do when a long journey finally ends and a place decides to keep you.

San Francisco de los Neches became San Francisco de la Espada. Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción became Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña. And San José de los Nazonis became San Juan Capistrano.

Same missions. Same faith. New names on the San Antonio River — where they stand to this day.

The State of Texas put this marker up in 1936, right here at the approximate location where it all began. Approximate. Because some stories are too big to pin down to a single spot.

What the marker says

Approximate location of the Missions San Francisco de Los Neches, Nuestra Senora de la Purisma Concepcion, San Jose de los Nazonis. Established in East Texas by Franciscan missionaries in 1716 for the Christianizing and civilizing of the Indians in the region. Abandoned temporarily due to the French incursions from Louisiana in 1719. Restored by the Marquis of Aguayo in 1721. Removed to the Colorado River in 1730. Permanently placed on the San Antonio River in 1731 and there known respectively as San Francisco de la Espada, Nuestra Senora de la Purisma Concepcion de Acuna, San Juan Capistrano. Erected by the State of Texas 1936