Beyond the Alamo, Exploring the Other Four Historic Spanish Missions in San Antonio Texas

Hello friends, travelers, explorers, and geocachers. Welcome back to AwayWeGo's Geocaching Adventures blog. For today's roadtrip, we are going back to San Antonio for a trip back into early Spanish history in North America.

Let's start with a little background. Between 1528 and 1535, Spain sent Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca across the land eventually known as Texas to explore and further claim the region as Spanish Territory. Over the later years, the focus was more to the south. Then in the 1680's with the French starting to intrude from their territory to the east, Spain once again initiated explorers into Texas. In 1686, Alonzo de León led the first land expedition or entrada seeking to expel the French from their colony at Fort St. Louis.

During his fifth expedition in 1690, de León and his chaplain, Fray Damián Mazanet, founded the first Spanish mission in Texas along the Neches River in east Texas. Their successful expedition along the Camino Real Trail created the emergence of San Antonio as a stop for travelers in route from Mexico to East Texas. The first governor of the Province of Tejas, Domingo Terán de los Ríos, undertook another entrada. The Spanish government authorized additional missions among the East Texas Indians. Governor Terán was accompanied by Fray Mazanet and followed the same route as de León before veering further north and passing through the vicinity of present day San Antonio. The two men were the first to visit and name the location.

Under direction of a new governor, Martín de Alarcón in 1718, a new entrada specifically to establish a mission and presidio on the San Antonio River and to deliver supplies to the missions in east Texas began. Because of its location halfway between Spain’s missions and settlements along the Rio Grande River and in East Texas along the French Territory, San Antonio became an important outpost.

The first and most popular of these is the Mission San Antonio de Valero (Alamo) founded in 1718 by Fray Antonio de Olivares. The mission was originally established along the banks of San Pedro Creek but was soon relocated to the east bank of the San Antonio River. After a hurricane destroyed the complex in 1724, it was relocated to its current and final location. Construction began on a stone church in 1744 but it collapsed before it could be finished. Work on a third church, the one that exists today, began around 1756.

Now we all "Remember the Alamo" and its role in the Texas War of Independence. Today it receives more than 2 1/2 million tourists a year visiting from around the world. Many of those also visiting the San Antonio Riverwalk and its many shops and restaurants between The Alamo and the 1730's San Fernando Cathedral Catholic Church. You can read more about our visit to these sites in a previous blog here.

Now we get to the main reason of todays return trip to San Antonio. Most tourists don't even realize that there are a total of five Spanish missions in San Antonio just a few miles apart. There is a walking / biking trail to connect them to the main Riverwalk. However, we decided to drive between them.

Our first stop was at the Mission San Francisco de la Espada. Originally established in 1690 in East Texas, it is one of three missions relocated to San Antonio in 1731. Since water was vital to the mission and survival of the community, the Franciscan Missionaries and their Indian followers built a dam, irrigation ditch, and aqueduct from 1740 to 1745, after laying the foundations of the mission but before the construction of permanent buildings on site.

The vast walled complex consisted of the church building, the two-story priests quarters, workshops, storage facility, a friary, and Indian quarters surrounding an open courtyard. The stone rooms which served as the Indian housing were built along inside the fortified wall. By 1762 three sides were lined with these houses.

Then we drove over to the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Like Mission Espada, it was also relocated to San Antonio in 1731. In addition to its early history, the mission compound itself was constructed in a similar form, including a church and plaza surrounded by a defensive wall formed from stone Indian quarters. By 1756, the mission’s first church was completed in addition to a convent building and a stone granary.

By 1762, a second church building was under construction, though the Native American converts were still living in temporary jacal type housing. Mission San Juan was never as successful as its counterparts. One reason was that the Spanish government did not allot the mission sufficient lands to cultivate food and to engage in ranching activities. The mission was also subject to repeated Apache raids, which reportedly occurred more frequently there than at other missions.

Next up was the Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, founded by Father Antonio Margil de Jesus in 1720. Approval for its construction was granted in order to serve several Native American groups who would not settle at Mission San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo) because they refused to live with other Native American groups already residing there. As with the other missions, the primary goal of the Spanish missionaries at Mission San José was to convert local Native American groups to Christianity and to assimilate them into Spanish society.

Approximately 240 Native individuals were assigned to the mission upon its commission, but a deadly epidemic dramatically reduced the Indian population to 41 by 1739. Many different groups of Native Americans who belonged to different bands and who would have self-identified by different names settled at the mission during the eighteenth century. The Native American residents of the mission were the predominant labor source utilized in the construction of structures in the complex and were also tasked with preparing the land for agriculture and constructing the associated system of irrigation canals known as acequias.

The mission was originally founded on the east bank of the San Antonio River south of the Alamo; however, it was relocated three times. It was moved to its current location on the west side of the river some time prior to 1730. Many of the structures on site prior to the 1760's were temporary in nature.

As seen in the scale model below, which Candy is taking a photo of, you can see how the mission was enclosed behind stone walls to defend the residents from attack by hostile native groups unaffiliated with the mission. Like the others, the mission compound also included a stone friary, a granary, gristmill, and various artisan workshops, including a carpentry shop, blacksmith shop, and weaving workshop. The complex also included Indian quarters that were primarily located along the compound’s walls. These dwellings were simple limestone structures with one main room and a kitchen.

Finally we arrived at Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísma Concepción de Acuña (Mission Concepción). This Mission also had a virtual geocache as well (GC4083). Located approximately three miles south of downtown San Antonio. Another mission relocated from East Texas to San Antonio in 1731. The location was selected based on its proximity to the San Antonio River, which allowed for irrigated agriculture, and for its location near the presidio at San Antonio, which offered military protection to the mission occupants. Upon the mission’s foundation, approximately 300 Native Americans were settled on its grant. Construction of the main church building took around twenty years. It was finished in 1755.

The mission was a self-sufficient, self-contained village surrounded by irrigated agricultural lands. The mission faced challenges from its establishment. Many of the converts died of disease, and the facility was regularly threatened with attack by hostile Native American groups unaffiliated with the mission. Mission records from 1762 indicate that church officials had baptized 792 Native Americans and buried 596 in the same year. Twenty years later, there were only 77 Native Americans residing at the mission. 

Due to the church’s lack of success in achieving their mission and other political factors, the mission was secularized in 1794. At that time, there were only 38 Native Americans residing there, and the Spanish government divided the mission’s agricultural land between them. After secularization, the mission compound was abandoned and quickly fell into a state of disrepair. An 1821 description of the property indicates many of the buildings were in ruins and that the acequia system was no longer functioning. As late as 1854, cattle were housed in the church. By the late nineteenth century, concrete steps to preserve the property had been taken. It was first rededicated as a church in 1861 after restoration by the Brothers of Mary. By 1913, the Catholic Church had initiated a number of restoration projects on the property. Further preservation efforts were under taken in the mid 20th century.

In 1978, the missions became part of the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, and the National Park Service in 2002. In addition to the above ground structures, the mission is also significant archeologically. Archeological investigations on the property have uncovered evidence of the original convento as well as the original adobe church from circa 1745 and the location of the former Indian quarters. There is also archeological evidence of an earlier mission-related occupation in the area south of the mission walls. Archival evidence suggests this occupation site could represent the original location of Mission San José or of the elusive and short-lived Mission San Francisco Xavier de Najera.

So I hope you've enjoyed this tour of the San Antonio Missions. If you're ever in San Antonio "Remembering the Alamo," please remember the other four as well. Besides they are WAYYY less crowded!

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2019-04-14: Geocaching Fossils, a Cemetery, Dams and Aqueducts in Central Texas

So I got a late start this morning on my Sunday drive of 360+ miles from Killeen, Texas down to Roma, Texas for a week of working. But I still managed to squeeze in some geocaching in the San Antonio area. Let's get going...

My first stop was at Cibolo Creek for some fossils and an earthcache (GC3CC0F). Here I found the same kinda fossilized rock used on the fort at St. Augustine back in Florida. After getting the answers I needed to get credit for the cache, I went to look for the traditional geocache that was hidden here as well. I wasn't thinking clearly about that one though. It was called "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (GC20H46). I had forgotten that I was down by the creek for the earthcache. I looked all around for about 15-20 minutes unsuccessfully trying to find it. Had to log a DNF on that one. Thinking back on it now though, it's rated a 1.5/1.5 cache and probably an easy find up by the road on TOP of the bridge! Oh well, maybe next time.

Continuing down the road to a quick roadside park and grab geocache. It was an easy cache to find, but a challenge cache to log a find (GC329EA). The challenge for this one was to find 150 geocaches hidden by the same geocacher. Currently I have found 150 geocaches each by eight different cachers.

My next two geocaches are at the Mission Burial Park Cemetery (GC6JVNP, GC6KY0W). With interments dating back to the 1850's, there are nearly 50,000 burials here. The one that caught my attention most was this Sanderson Family Mausoleum. Containing six members of the family, beginning with David D. Sanderson (1822-1892). The entry is guarded by two sphynx looking statues.

Next door to the east of the cemetery runs the San Antonio River. There you'll find a virtual geocache called "Dam, Ditch, and Aqueduct" (GC4CB0). This was a two-part multi-virtual. My wife and I were here back in November and found the first stage but never made it to the final. Today I'm back to complete the find. Along this section of the river is the Espada Dam and Aqueduct.

From the historical marker: "This is the oldest continuously used Spanish built diversion dam in Texas. Has provided irrigation water since its construction sometime between 1731 and 1745. The dam originally 270 feet long, is built on a natural rock foundation. A portion of the east wing is now covered by the nearby flood control levee. Despite a true reverse buttress making an angular turn at the center of the channel the dam has withstood many years of destructive floods with only minor repairs required to maintain its sound condition. The 8 foot tall structure diverts approximately 4500 gallons of water per minute into the 4 mile long irrigation ditch known as "Acequia De Espada." By gravity flow the acequia provides irrigation water for 400 acres of land in the vicinity of Mission San Francisco De La Espada. The mouth of the acequia may be seen on the opposite bank of the river just upstream from the dam. The dam and irrigation system was engineered by Franciscan Missionaries and constructed by Indian converts, a remarkable feat at that time."

So that was it for today. Grabbed some lunch and gas afterwards and then straight driving all the way down to the Rio Grande Valley. I'm glad you rode along with me and I'll see you again next time.

2019-04-01: Geocaching and Exploring Early Mexican-American History in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas

Hello and Welcome Back! So after my long and packed roadtrip from Texas to Minnesota and back, I had another two weeks off before getting called back to the wind farm down in the Rio Grande Valley. I managed to get one week of work behind me before overnight and this mornings rains made it too muddy to work. But a rain day off from work means an extra day for geocaching and exploring early Mexican-American history of small towns in the Rio Grande Valley.

My first stop is the town of Roma, Texas, just a few miles down the road from where I'm staying. A new cache was published over the weekend called "Cactus House" (GC85FFK). Just a couple of blocks from Roma's point of entry bridge over the Rio Grande River into the United States, is an old long abandoned brick house that's been taken over by nature. I found the geocache on this Monday morning and a nice clean log sheet to claim a First-to-Find!

From there I went a few blocks over to the Roma Historic District. Not a typical border town settlement, Roma, founded in 1765, is distinctive for its historic high-walled, gated, family compounds that reflect strong ties to 18th century northern Mexico, which was then part of the Spanish Empire. The planning, colonization and land grant system was the brainchild of Jose de Escandón and focused on civil development. Today, Roma is the only American Spanish colonial settlement that preserves the character of Escandón’s town planning.

The community is directly across the river from Ciudad Miguel Alemán, Mexico. The Roma Historic District, a National Historic Landmark district in the City of Roma, contains architecture influenced by Spanish colonial culture and by the bustling 19th century Rio Grande trade route that brought goods and people from the Gulf of Mexico to the continent’s interior. The Roma Historic District contains the best and most intact collection of ethnically diverse buildings and structures in the border region.

The site of Roma was part of the Mexican town of Mier about 10 miles northwest of modern Roma, in what was New Spain’s Nuevo Santander. Don José de Escandón founded the Spanish colonial province of Nuevo Santander in the mid-18th century. Spanish colonists from Mexico settled Mier in the 1750's and received land grants along the Rio Grande, where they formed family ranches. In the 1760's, the Spanish colonial government granted two tracts on the northern side of the river to the Salinas and Sáenz families, who were among the founding families of Mier and whose descendants still reside in Roma. The tracts they received were the first permanent European settlements at the Roma site.

Soon after the Mexican War for Independence ended in 1821, Roma became an independent community. One of the earliest records of Roma is in American colonist Stephen F. Austin’s chart of Texas, which literally put Roma on the map. After the Mexican-American War ended, Roma belonged to the United States. In the 1840's, Euro-American entrepreneurs settled in Roma, Texas, and married into the founding families.

German immigrant and master-builder Enrique (Heinrich) Portscheller settled in the region in 1865, married a Mier woman, and eventually moved to Roma. Portscheller added to the beauty of the local building techniques with his trademark decorative molded brick and use of New Orleans-type wrought-iron balconies. In addition to his work in Roma, Portscheller designed buildings in the border towns of Mier, Rio Grande City, and Laredo. Though there are other towns where this type of brickwork endures, Roma sustains the highest level of density, integrity, and quality in its 19th century Rio Grande brick and stone craftsmanship.

The John Vale / Noah Cox House (GC7JGVK) served as both a home and business location for John Heinrik Vale and Noah Cox, who were deeply embroiled in Civil War activities in Roma. Vale, a Swedish immigrant, had come to America in 1840 seeking adventure. During the Mexican American War, Vale volunteered for Zachary Taylor’s Army of Occupation and was encamped in Camargo. He chose to remain in the region, marrying a woman from Ciudad Mier in Tamaulipas and taking up residence across the Rio Grande in Roma. In 1853 he built a two-story home on the town’s main plaza.

Three years later he sold the house to Cox, a representative of the New Orleans firm of Stadeker & Mecklinburger & Cox, who continued to use the house as both a residence and mercantile center. In addition to his mercantile operations during the Civil War, Cox also served in the Confederate Texas Cavalry. For his part, Vale engaged heavily in the lucrative cotton trade that funneled through the city of Roma during the Civil War, doing business with Joseph Kleiber, a key player in Confederate business operations on the Gulf of Mexico. 

The geocache I found, my second attempt at looking, was on the ruins of the wall which surrounded the side and backyard. Hopefully they don't completely restore this section of the wall because I like the way it looks now.

Also built by John Vale around 1850's, the Leocadia Leandro Garcia House is similar in style and construction to the Noah Cox House across the Plaza. Originally, the house contained commercial space on the ground floor with residential space above. The house was later remodeled as a building for a dance hall and now owned by the Knights of Columbus.

Manuel Guerra, the legendary political and economic boss of Starr County, commissioned Portscheller to build his family compound in 1884. A native of Mier, Guerra printed his own currency to be redeemed by his ranch workers at his store. The two-story brick structure sits assuredly along the upper western edge of the plaza, extending for half a block with fine classical brick detailing and a historic two-color metal balcony that delicately embellishes its second story. A one-story warehouse completes the L-shaped complex enclosing a courtyard with original outbuildings. Never to be outdone by competitors, the Guerra family also operated the first gas station in Roma with a pump installed near the chamfered corner entrance (since removed).

The seven men, pictured in 1911, in Roman collars and broad brimmed hats were Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) who had travelled from their missions scattered throughout the Rio Grande Valley along the river. Since 1849, this Calvary of Christ have been building churches and chapels from Brownsville to Laredo.

Arriving in Mission, Texas and turning back towards the river, I make another stop in Anzalduas Park. It's a riverside park popular with bird watchers. I was here once before and found a couple of geocaches. But there was one that I previously DNF'd (GC6AF7Y). Today was redemption as I found it this time. Out on the Rio Grande I could see why this park was popular among bird watchers.

At my next geocache (GC84NC2), I see the ruins of this structure up on the hill. Next to the Juan Diego Academy stands the remains of the Villa Queen of Peace (photo below and at top of page). Though the cache page says Oblate Monastery, I can't find any information about it's history or that it was indeed a monastery. So I'm not sure when it was built or what happened to it. If you have any information as to its history, please comment below.

Nearby was geocache (GC6Z60B) and my next piece of history. The La Lomita (meaning small hill) Chapel was constructed by the Oblates in 1865, then rebuilt in 1899 on these 122 acres willed to them in 1861 as it was nearly halfway between Brownsville and Roma. The Oblates moved their ministry to the growing city of Mission in 1908. Now it is a historical landmark, a park, and a place of pilgrimage.

Looks like an oven outside the chapel.

I hope you have enjoyed the sampling of early Rio Grande Valley history. There is much more to see if you every get the chance to be down in this area. I didn't even get to any of the cemeteries. Overall I managed to find many more quick roadside geocaches for a total of 32 finds for the day.

Until next time, I look forward to your comments here or on any of my social media accounts. Hopefully I have inspired you to go out and explore the rich history along the many backroads and small towns of this great country.

There are new ways to follow me. Follow the blog directly by using buttons on the right of your computer screen. Or through various social media platforms:  Facebook, MeWe, Parler, Gab, Twitter, Instagram, MAGAbook, and Reddit. Follow us on any or all of these platforms and whichever you choose, please leave your comments. We'd love to hear from you and it encourages us to continue sharing our adventures.

2018-05-28: Ghost Towns, Old Schoolhouses, Cemeteries, Geocaching Through West Texas

Welcome back everyone. On today's drive from Killeen to Fort Stockton, Texas, my Geocaching adventure takes me to a few ghost towns, abandoned school buildings, some cemeteries, and a cool abandoned outdoor stadium. So let's get started...

Heading west on US-190, I drove through to Brady before turning north on US-283. My first stop was a quick roadside geocache (GC2ED5W).

A few more miles up the road is the small town of Lohn, Texas. The first settlers in the area were the William F. Lohn family in 1879. In 1881 they were joined by other German families. Boi Albert Cornils immigrated as a young adult to this area in 1884 wed another young immigrant, Bertha Lembke. The couple settled on ranchland east of Lohn and reared five children.

Morgan Stacy built a store at the community site and ran the post office when it was granted in 1890. In 1892 the community had a flour mill and gin, a general store, and a Baptist church. The first school was a one-room structure built in 1893. In 1896, the Cornils deeded five acres for a free public school adjacent to a community burial ground on their property. Several unmarked graves predate the first recorded burial, that of Heinrich Rudolph (d. 1883).

Separated about a mile apart, there are two cemeteries; the Lohn Family Cemetery (GC7QD68) and the Lohn (Community) Cemetery (GC7QD61). There weren't any geocaches hidden in either cemetery. So of course I had to remedy that situation.

New businesses were built from around 1910 through the 1920's, and the number of residents increased from seventy-five in 1914 to a high of 360 in 1931. The Lohn population was 250 in the 1940's and 1950's, but it fell to 100 in the mid-1960's. In 1988 two businesses and 149 residents were reported there; the population of Lohn was still estimated at 149 in 2000. The first photo below is an abandoned gas station followed by one of the abandoned houses.

A few miles west down Ranch Road 504 is Pear Valley, Texas and my next few geocaches. It began about 1908 as a widely scattered settlement called Saddle Creek. When the post office opened in 1910, the name was changed to Pear Valley. The population remained stable at forty-five from the 1930's to the 1960's. In 1964 it fell to twenty. Two churches and two businesses appeared on the 1987 county highway map, and the town reported thirty-seven residents in 1990. The remains of the school, built in 1935 (GC48A5, GC11BB1), General Store building, and the cemetery (GC5ADBJ) are about all that remain.

My next stop and geocache (GC11BB2) was in the ghost town of Salt Gap, Texas. Located at the intersection of County FM 503 and FM 504, it had a population of just 25 in 1990. Named for the local creek of the same name, the town had a post office in operation from 1905 to 1913 - the year it closed. It reopened in the 1920's and closed for good several years later. The population high-water mark was 60 people in the late 1930's. The town never developed past the store and school stage, but it remained a viable community in 2006 and still appears on the county map. Not much to see here but the signs announcing its existence and a few buildings at the intersection.

A few miles around the corner from there was another ghost town that really had my interest. The early settlers of Doole, Texas (GC11BAX) wanted to name their town in honor of a prominent family in the area, the Gansel Family, therefore this farming and ranching community was originally known as Gansel, Texas. Residents decided to establish a post office in approximately 1911 and ask the postmaster at Brady, Texas for advice. The postal service in Washington D.C. said that the name Gansel was unacceptable, so the settlers named their post office and town after David Doole, Jr., the postmaster at Brady. These are just a few of the many photos I took in Doole.

The Old Doole Baptist Church

Gray's Machine Shop which handled all the auto and tractor repairs, welding, and blacksmith.

Old House with Porch Swing

This was to me the most fascinating part. A lot of towns have old buildings. But how about the school sports stadium where the bleachers were built into the side of the hill! Kinda like ones I saw of the ancient ruins in Athens, Greece. Even had the old ticket booth standing and still in decent shape. There's even an old rusty 1957 Plymouth sitting in the mesquite where the parking lot probably was. Darned if I forgot to take a photo of it though. This ghost town is definitely one of the must see on a roadtrip through Central/West Texas!

Continuing slowly westbound, I arrive in Millersview in Concho County and my next two geocaches (GC11BBB, GC5ADC4). Named for Edward D. Miller, who co-founded the town with one Henry Barr. Previous settlement had been scattered along Mustang Creek - some seven miles NE of present day Millersview. The town was granted a post office in 1903.

In 1914 the town had a population of 160. From 300 people in 1931, it was reduced by two thirds by 1933 but somehow managed to rise to 250 as the Depression was winding down. The Millersview school had eight teachers in 1940 to teach both elementary and high school grades. High school classes were suspended in 1958 although elementary classes continued until the school closed sometime before 1989. The population was 175 in 1963, declining thereafter to 70 by 1970 - an estimate that stayed in place for thirty years. Students from Millersville now attend classes in Eden. The school itself is now degrading, but the people have restored the gymnasium (built in 1939) and continue to use it as a community center.

The community is reportedly the only town in the United States using the name Millersview.

Also in Millersview is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. They have erected a monument and marker in 1998 honoring the Mission San Clemente. The mission was established in 1684 by Spanish missionaries for the purpose of sharing the Catholic faith with Indians in the area. In 1984 mass was celebrated at this location to commemorate the founding of the mission 300 years ago. A congregation of more than 3,000 joined many of the Texas Bishops in the Liturgy.

My next geocache was a roadside cache on FM 765 on the way to the ghost town of Eola, Texas. The Eola Museum cache (GC10V2A) is at the corner of a dirt road leading to the Barrow Ranch. Earnest and Dorthy Barrow founded the Museum in 1976 to house their extensive collection of memorabilia from the early days of Concho County. It has since grown to include items from all over the world, collected by the Barrows and many other donors. As a gift in perpetuity to the public, the Museum is owned and operated as a non-profit foundation by a Board of Directors.

Four large buildings house the collections that range from delicate crystal to a magnificent pipe organ. Visitors can step back into history as they view many different antiques. Some of the largest collections contain thousands of cat figurines, hundreds of Hummel and Goebel figurines as well as thousands of arrowheads and other Indian artifacts. There are also gems, minerals, cars, farm equipment, medical and dental equipment, windmills, and seashells of all types.

I didn't have the time to drive down the road to see the museum. Maybe another day I just might.

Another side road so that I don't have to backtrack, and I arrive at Henderson Chapel, Texas (GC1DZFX). Henderson Chapel, also known as Hendersons Chapel and as Henderson, was near a tributary of Kickapoo Creek. In 1936 Henderson Chapel had a business and a school. In 1940 its school, which encompassed grades one through seven, had an average daily attendance of twenty. By 1955 the community's school had been consolidated with the Eola school district. The 1963 county highway map named the community, but showed no buildings at the site. The only thing I saw was this building which is barely standing and overtaken by trees.

Finally reaching Eola, Texas, the area was originally called Jordan. However it changed its name in 1902 when the first store was built and the town only had four families. Eola was created during a land boom when county school lands were put up for sale at fifty cents an acre in the 1890's. The sale attracted many Europeans – primarily Czechs.

A two-story schoolhouse was built in 1906. By 1914 Eola had a population of twenty-five which grew to 240 by 1931. In 1940 Eola had a population of 250 and was thriving. It reached its zenith in ’47 when 350 Eolans called the town home. Nine teachers taught elementary and high school classes.

Recently a carpenter from Washington moved in and has been restoring the old school building a little at a time. He also opened up a steak house on one end and is only open Friday and Saturday to help raise money for the restoration project. I thought I had taken a photo of the school, but I guess I didn't.

A few miles north of Eola is the Mereta-Eola Cemetery (GC1DZGE). Not a whole lot of history other than it serving the towns of Mereta to the west and Eola to the south. Still in use today with just under 100 burials listed, it dates back to the late 1800's.

My last two geocaches for the day are in Mereta, Texas (GC1ABHM, GC10V2C). Mereta, also known as Fisherville and as Lipan, was named by its postmaster in 1902 for twin sisters Meta and Reta Burns, had a gin, two stores, and a school in 1904, when a town plat was made. Its population fell from seventy-five in 1914 to thirty in 1925. In 1931 Mereta had three businesses and a school with three teachers; by 1934 the community's population was reported as ten, with four businesses. The 1936 county highway map showed two churches, two factories, a post office, a school, and scattered dwellings at the town site. By 1939 a store was operating at the local community center. The population of Mereta was estimated at seventy-five from the early 1940’s through the early 1990’s. The 1984 county highway map showed a church, a business, and a park.

That was it for today. Spent enough time on these little backroads and ghost towns. I still had 180 miles of driving before reaching Fort Stockton. Gotta get moving. Thanks for riding along and be sure to either Follow Me via the button on the right (if you're on you computer), and on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates.