For historical context we've been looking at the development of the United States westward - which included getting rid of Spanish, French, British, and Mexican claims to the land. While the west - along with the Gulf Coast and Florida - was sparsely populated under Spanish control a road connected San Diego and San Augustine, Florida. It was called Old Spanish Trail and it would later form the basis for a network of highways and Main Streets almost 100 years ago.
As the centennial approaches, some groups would like to celebrate it by reviving the road - or at least signage designating it. The development of highways - along with all types of transportation means - has been central to economic expansion.
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As the centennial approaches, some groups would like to celebrate it by reviving the road - or at least signage designating it. The development of highways - along with all types of transportation means - has been central to economic expansion.
- Click here for the article.
By 1925, when a travel guide for the route was published and leadership of the Old Spanish Trail Association was in San Antonio, Houston was a major destination. The Rice Hotel boasted "the finest cafeteria in the south," other lodging was available in fireproof facilities - a closely watched offering then - and Hermann Park could host up to 1,000 cars.
"Travel was expensive," Kahl said. "There were tourist camps before motels and motor courts. You camped out."
Travel also took much longer. Speed limits, not to mention automotive capabilities for safe travel, put top speeds at about 20 mph - even less in cities. Some paved roads were not exactly smooth, often made from crushed local materials. Rocks and shells taken from Oyster Creek in Sugar Land likely ended up in many East Texas road projects.
Drivers had a more hands-on approach to their maintenance needs. Automobiles and trucks of the time required personal care. Roadside assistance wasn't yet a thing. Tires were especially unpredictable.
"Drivers would carry patch kits like you would for bicycles," Kahl said.
Tourism was only a part of the impetus for the Old Spanish Trail. Movement of goods played a large role as well.
Businesses that made products in Pensacola or New Orleans wanted reliable ways to get raw materials from Georgia or Texas. Farmers in East Texas needed a way to get their crops to markets in San Antonio, and not everything was worth shipping in large rail bulks.
Trucking could fill in the gaps if routes were paved and reliable. Those routes became the first iteration of the interstate system, in part devised by Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of U.S. Forces in World War I, who envisioned a national network for military movement. Another general, Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually made the interstate map a reality.
Moving goods required wider roads, often outside downtown areas. Old Spanish Trail was moved to swing around Houston's growing urban core, using what had been called the "Old Spanish Trail cutoff" in 1935. The detour, sometime after 1935, led to the current U.S. 90 Alternate, the road now called Old Spanish Trail and the proliferation of motels along the highway.
