Camino del Norte
How a Series of Watering Holes, Fords, and Dirt Trails Evolved into Interstate 35 in Texas
Publication Year: 2006
Published by: Texas A&M University Press
Cover
Front Matter
Contents
Maps
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p. vi-vi
Acknowledgments
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pp. vii-viii
Virtually all of the facts, figures, and events presented in this history were assembled—inevitably and unapologetically—from secondary sources during 2000 and 2001. This book would simply not exist without the often spectacular research contributions made by hundreds of historians, scholars, observers, and government archivists over the decades (and even centuries). ...
Introduction
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pp. ix-xii
The subject matter of this book started out as an interest. Then it developed into a hobby. Eventually, the historical puzzle of Interstate 35 in Texas became nearly an obsession. I discovered that the central question—how and why did the magnificent I-35 Corridor develop as (and where) it did?—could be answered only with investigation and research. Fortunately, thousands of excellent ...
Digging into the Highway’s Past
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pp. 3-14
SLIGHTLY north of San Antonio International Airport in Bexar County lie the remains of ancient prehistoric peoples. Like most archaeological finds today, the remains were discovered during a series of modern construction projects. In one case, the catalyst was a new middle school, St. Mary’s Hall. The prehistoric remains revealed at the ...
In Quest of Silver, 1519–1776
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pp. 15-44
WITHIN ten years of Hernán Cortés’s first visit to Tenochtitlán, Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and three other survivors of the Pánfilo de Narváez expedition of 1528 found themselves wandering through southern Texas and northern Mexico. Having knowledge of the sophisticated Aztec empire and the wonders of Tenochtitlán, an island city ...
The Roads to War, 1777–1840
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pp. 45-69
TRAVELING along the Camino Real and the Laredo–San Antonio Road was an adventure. Traffic moved in a northeasterly direction and had to cross virtually all of Texas’ north-south rivers. Wiser prehistoric peoples had utilized routes that ran parallel to rivers, not across them. Inns and hotels were nonexistent, leaving travelers to stop at the rustic parajes ...
The Texas Frontier, 1840 –1860
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pp. 70-102
THE evolving Chihuahua roads were both an opportunity and a threat to the ambitious plans of Mirabeau B. Lamar. Laredo was in Mexico and could be ignored. But Austin was the new capital of Texas and, prior to its near abandonment between 1842 and 1845, needed a push. To supplement Austin’s emerging (if costly) trade with the seaports at Houston and ...
From Trails to Rails, 1860 –1900
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pp. 103-129
With or without railroads, the combined effects of immigration, agriculture, and trade raised the population of Texas to 604,215 in 1860, including 182,566 slaves and 355 free blacks. Only 11 percent of the state’s population lived in towns with more than a hundred inhabitants, and only six towns could be categorized as significant: Galveston, ...
Good Roads for Texas, 1870–1917
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pp. 130-155
Following twenty years of feverish railway expansion in Texas, most of the right-of-way segments of future Interstate 35 had been staked out by two major rail lines and a portion of a third. The I&GN ran between Laredo, San Antonio, Austin, and Round Rock. The M-K-T (Katy) was set to operate between San Antonio ...
Federal Dollars for Roads, 1918–1938
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pp. 156-185
The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, the birth of the Texas Highway Department in April 1917, and the THD’s state highway system map of June1917, were all catalyzed by World War I considerations, possible actions related to the Mexican Civil War, and the explosion of U.S. automobile traffic. If the foundations for interstate highway development including ...
A National System, 1938–1960
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pp. 186-214
Most states, including Texas, viewed parkways and freeways as luxuries during the depression years. The predecessors to Interstate 35—US 81 and US 77—operated as well-defined (if undivided) interstate highways which, to the delight of local merchants, passed through Texas cities in a zigzag, time-consuming (and oft-confusing) fashion. ...
Interstate 35 Comes to Pass, 1960 –2000
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pp. 215-240
In much the same manner that the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 had shifted management responsibilities from counties to state highway departments, the Federal Highway Act of 1956 solidified the New Deal era trend in which the state role, in turn, was subservient to that of the federal government. State highway departments remained powerful entities, but decision...
Conclusion
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pp. 241-244
Talk of TGV systems, light rail, and commuter rail lines would have warmed the heart of Lewis Mumford. Mumford’s advocacy of planned, integrated mass transit systems and pedestrian-centric environments remains timely, even if the execution would be challenging and extremely expensive. Some of his highway solutions, such as depressed urban ...
Index
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pp. 275-284
E-ISBN-13: 9781603445467
E-ISBN-10: 1603445463
Print-ISBN-13: 9781585444731
Print-ISBN-10: 1585444731
Page Count: 296
Illustrations: 16 maps.
Publication Year: 2006
Series Title: Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University
