DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker's got the story, and here's my telling of it — so let me set the scene for you out here in Nacogdoches County. Now, Don Martin de Alarcon. The man rose to the position of Governor of Texas in 1716, and from the very start, he had a plan.
A real, concrete, boots-on-the-ground plan: establish a secure presidio along the San Antonio River, something solid enough to move goods out to the frontier missions and settlements. Simple enough in theory. In practice?
Well, that's where things get interesting. Because despite how urgent his own plan was — and he knew it was urgent — Alarcon stayed put at Presidio San Juan Bautista del Rio Grande clear through 1717. And then, come April, he delayed things further still.
Why? Because word reached him about a French trader operating in the territory. A smuggler, really.
The man's name was Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, and Alarcon was not about to let that slide. Here's the wrinkle though.
The missionaries? They protested. Loudly.
See, St. Denis had been supplying those missions with goods and support — the very support that Alarcon, their own governor, had not yet managed to deliver himself. So while Alarcon was out there investigating illicit trade, the man he was investigating was the one keeping the lights on, so to speak.
Alarcon eventually released St. Denis. But that crusade against French trade?
That did not end. Not even close. Finally — finally — in April 1718, Alarcon set off on his expedition.
And when he moved, he moved with purpose. He established the civil settlement known as villa San Fernando de Bexar, the place often called San Antonio, and alongside it, the mission San Antonio de Valero. Then, after a brief trip out to the gulf, he turned and toured the entire province of Tejas, visiting each of the six missions.
He met with local leadership — Caddo and clergy both — and he distributed supplies along the way. But goodwill, it seems, has a short shelf life when you're also confiscating French trade goods at every stop. The missionaries in East Texas continued to view Alarcon badly, and when he started planning an outright attack on the French fort in Natchitoches, those same East Texas missionaries intervened — on behalf of the French.
On behalf of the French. Now, you might think that's where the story bottoms out for Alarcon. But history has one more turn to make.
In 1719, a Frenchman by the name of Lieutenant Philippe Blondel attacked Mission San Miguel. The attack was serious enough that settlers fled all the way to San Antonio de Bexar. Alarcon was unpopular in his day — the marker doesn't soften that.
The missionaries opposed him, the traders worked around him, and his own neighbors in the faith treated him like an obstacle. And yet, scholars argue that his establishment of the villa San Antonio, and the fallout from that 1719 attack, provided the humble beginnings for the thriving future city along the river. Sometimes the man nobody liked was the one who laid the foundation everybody built on.
What the marker says
Don Martin de Alarcon rose to the position of Governor of Texas in 1716. As governor he aimed to establish a secure presidio along the San Antonio River for the movement of goods to frontier missions and settlements. Despite the imperative nature of his plan, Alarcon remained at Presidio San Juan Bautista del Rio Grande through 1717. In April, he delayed his expedition further to investigate the illicit activities of French trader (and smuggler) Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. Missionaries protested Alarcon's investigation. St. Denis provided the missions with support and goods that Alarcon had yet to supply himself. Alarcon eventually released St. Denis, but his crusade against French trade did not end. Alarcon finally set off on his expedition in April 1718, and established the civil settlement villa San Fernando de Bexar, often called San Antonio, and the mission San Antonio de Valero. After a brief interlude to the gulf, Alarcon toured the province of Tejas where he visited each of the six missions. He met with local leadership, Caddo and clergy, and distributed supplies. Despite Alarcon's gestures, missionaries continued to view Alarcon badly because he also confiscated French trade goods. When he planned to attack the French fort in Natchitoches, East Texas missionaries intervened on behalf of the French. Later, Frenchman Lt. Philippe Blondel attacked the Mission San Miguel in 1719, which caused settlers to flee to San Antonio de Bexar. Despite being unpopular in his day, scholars argue that Alarcon's establishment of the villa San Antonio and the fallout from the subsequent attack in 1719 provided the humble beginnings for the thriving future city along the river. (2015)