DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about San Patricio Rancho, right here in Nacogdoches County. Now, if you're drivin' El Camino Real and you want to cross the Angelina River, there's one place you have to pass through — and by the late 1700s, two men already knew that better than anyone. William Barr and Samuel Davenport arrived in Nacogdoches by 1797.
They settled on nine leagues of land — nine leagues, now, that's a serious piece of country — in a place called Presidio Viejo, where the old Presidio Dolores once stood. The traders renamed the grant San Patricio, after the Irish patron Saint Patrick. A nod, if you will, to the old country, planted firmly in East Texas soil.
And these two men were not thinking small. Before the turn of the nineteenth century, the Spanish government had granted Barr and Davenport a commission to supply the Native Americans with trade items in exchange for peltries, furs, and livestock. By 1803, that arrangement had grown into something more formidable — a full monopoly to trade with the Indians and to provide food and clothing to the soldiers stationed in Nacogdoches.
A monopoly. In a land where everything and everyone was passing through, they held the keys to the whole operation. With that monopoly intact, they got to work building something larger still.
They developed a series of land grants along El Camino Real, strung out along the major East Texas rivers like beads on a very long cord. Each location was chosen with purpose — a crossing with enough pasture land to give forage to cattle and horses, or land fit to raise corn and other crops. Each site also served as a way station, offering rest, protection, and food to travelers making that long road through the wilderness.
And each location was part of something bigger: a trade network that linked back to their headquarters in Nacogdoches and stretched all the way east to Natchitoches, Louisiana, and the eastern markets beyond. At times, Barr and Davenport supplied goods as far westward as San Antonio. One end to the other — they had the corridor covered.
The Caddo Indians lived freely within the boundaries of each land grant. The employees of Barr and Davenport often lived and conducted their trade within the distant, scattered Indian villages, using the series of land grants as centers to restock their supplies before heading back out into that wide country. And at the heart of it all sat San Patricio Rancho.
Every traveler following El Camino Real between Nacogdoches and San Antonio — in either direction — had to pass through San Patricio to cross the Angelina River. There was no going around it. The river said so.
The marker calls San Patricio Rancho a true example of the rich Spanish and French history of this area. And standing here, thinking about nine leagues of land, a trade network running from East Texas to Louisiana to San Antonio, a monopoly built by 1803, and every traveler on that ancient road forced to stop and cross right here — well, that's not a small history. That's the whole road, in one place.
What the marker says
William Barr and Samuel Davenport arrived in Nacogdoches by 1797 and settled on nine leagues of land called Presidio Viejo where the old Presidio Dolores was located. The traders renamed the grant San Patricio after the Irish patron Saint Patrick. Before the turn of the 19th century, the Spanish government had granted them a commission to supply the Native Americans with trade items in exchange for peltries, furs and livestock. By 1803, Barr and Davenport had a monopoly to trade with the Indians and provide food and clothing to the soldiers stationed in Nacogdoches. With the monopoly intact, they developed a series of land grants along El Camino Real on major East Texas rivers. Each location had a crossing with sufficient pasture land to provide forage for cattle and horses or land to raise corn and other crops. Each site also served as a way station for rest, protection and food for travelers. Each location was part of the overall trade network which was linked to their headquarters at Nacogdoches and extended to Natchitoches, Louisiana and the eastern markets. At times, Barr and Davenport also supplied goods as far westward as San Antonio. Various groups of Caddo Indians lived freely within the boundaries of each land grant. While the employees of Barr and Davenport often lived and conducted their trade within the distant scattered Indian villages, they used this series of land grants as centers to restock supplies. Travelers that followed El Camino Real from Nacogdoches to San Antonio or vice versa had to pass through San Patricio to cross the Angelina River. San Patricio Rancho is a true example of the rich Spanish and French history of the area. (2013)