Shared ancient & colonial roots of Texas & Louisiana

Although not directly related to our family's history, here are two links which show the earliest colonial connections between Louisiana and Texas.

Natchitoches, La., and Nacogdoches, Tx., were ancient native American settlements, connected by a trail which would later become part of El Camino Real (the Royal Road), part of a network of roads leading to and from Spanish colonial Mexico.

The Spanish roads later defined the part of Texas which would be settled by Anglo-Americans. Bastrop, where our grandfather was born, was located on the old San Antonio Road where it crossed the Colorado River.

Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, as it was founded in 1714 by the French, after the founding of Mobile and before New Orleans was established.

According to the web page, the early French colonists needed a trade link to the western Spanish colonies. Hm, I wonder what the issues were around trading with the Spanish colonists in Florida at the time; perhaps the west Fla. settlements were too isolated. (Mobile is much closer to Pensacola than it is to northwest La.!)

As I remember, Natchitoches is pronounced "NACK-i-dish" and Nacogdoches is pronounced "NACK-a-DOE-chez."

http://www.elcaminorealtx.com/

http://www.natchitochestour.com/