|
Double
File Trail
Historical Marker
in Georgetown, Texas
3 miles east of
Georgetown on SH 29
| |
map
click to enlarge
|
|
| |
GPS
Coordinates
Latitude: 30.645028 -
Longitude:-97.592473
Latitude: +30° 38' 42.10" Longitude: -97° 35'
32.90"
UTM 14 R - Easting:
634948 - Northing:
3391180
|
|
Historical
Marker text
Laid out about 1828 by Delaware Indians, "The Double File Trail"
got its name because two horsemen could ride it side by side.
The Delawares carved this trace migrating ahead of expanding
white settlements. They moved from what they called "the
Redlands" in East Texas to Mexico near present Nuevo Laredo. Of
the 200 to 250 families reported in East Texas in the 1820s,
only about 150 remained after the move. Early sites in
Williamson County were settled where this trail crossed
waterways. Texas Rangers and the Santa Fe Expedition also
traveled the track. (1978)
| |
HUNTER'S FRONTIER TIKES March,
1929
230 FRONTIER TIMES
The Old "Double File" Trail
By W. K. Makemson, deceased, and republished from files
of The Georgetown, Texas, Sun by Request.
When I was a small boy the old "Double File Trail" was a
house hold term in this part of the country and its
exact location was as well-known as the Georgetown and
Round Rock "Tap" is now to the people of this vicinity,
and settlers were then designated as living above or
below the "Double File" crossing.
I first learned of the origin of the old "Trail" from
Jem Shaw, a Deleware Indian, who, in the summer or fall
of 1853 or 1854, in company with five or six of his
people, while on their way from somewhere in northeast
Texas to Mexico, camped on Chandler's Branch near our
home just east of, and across the branch from where Mr.
Wm. M. Stinnett is now living. Shaw's horses were very
much jaded and one of his Indians was sick and he
remained here three of four days to recuperate his
horses and doctor his sick Indian. I was at their camp
frequently and I heard Shaw say the "Double File Trail"
was made by some of his tribe of people, who in an early
day, perhaps 1828 or 1829 left the "Redlands," as he
called it, in East Texas and moved to Mexico, where they
were then living, and for many years thereafter they
continued to travel it in passing to and from Mexico. He
said this "Trail" extended from the place where the
Delewares originally settled, somewhere in East Texas,
to some point in the Rio Grande, perhaps Laredo, but as
to that point I am not sure. I know that he said the
"Trail" crossed the Brazos river at the Falls; Little
River below the "Three Forks" and the Colorado at or
near the place where Webberville was afterwards located.
He also said it passed about a mile east of where he was
then camped.
Jem Shaw was prominent in his tribe, and was a man of
considerable intelligence, spoke English very plainly
and was of a much more communicative disposition than
the average Indian. He was always a true friend to Texas
and her people and was recognized by old settlers as a
faithful, trustworthy scout and guide, and I believe the
history he gave me of this old "trail" was true.
It was called the "Double File Trail" because in
travelling they rode in two files or by twos, hence made
two trails or paths. In the summer of 1838 Dr. Thomas J.
Kenney built his fort in the valley on the south bank of
Brushy Creek at a point then known as the "Cove," and
that fall occupied it with his family. I have a letter
from Dr. Kenney's oldest daughter, Mrs. Mary Jane Lei,
of El Paso, Texas, in which she says: "In the fall after
the fort was finished, father moved his family,
consisting of mother, myself and sister Clarisa, from
Bastrop to the fort which was in the valley on the south
bank of Brushy Creek at the crossing of the old "Double
File Trail." I was then 12 years old and we lived at the
fort until the spring of 1844 when father and his two
companions, Castleberry and Courtney, were killed by the
Indians at Bone Hollow on the waters of the Salado,
about five or six miles north of where Corn Hill is now
situated." Mrs. Lee is the widow of John Lee, who was a
brother of the Hon. Joseph Lee, who it is said was the
first lawyer to locate at Austin after that place was
established, and continued to practice his profession
there for many years.
There is no fact in the history of this section of the
country better established than that Kenney's Fort was
situated on the south bank of Brushy Creek and about 250
yards below the point where the Katy railroad bridge
crosses the creek, and where the public road now crosses
a short distance below this bridge is where the old
"Trail" crossed.
During the summer and winter of 1846 Capt. Shapley Ross,
father of the late ex-Gov. Sul Ross, was stationed with
his company of Rangers on the San GabrieL I have a
letter from John C. Compton, who was a member of that
company, and in describing the location of their camp,
says: "The station was on the south side of the San
Gabriel about 3 or 4 miles below the Junction, and just
below the crossing of the old "Double File Trail"
crossing which was a few steps below where Towns
constructed his mill dam." He also says that while at
that station two of the rangers, Perry Neal and Tom
Roberts, died and that they were buried in a live oak
grove just south of the camp. These graves are now in
Mr. A. C. Beaver's field.
Col. W. C. Dalrymple, a year or so before his death,
told me that the "Don' le File Trail" crossed the
Gabriel about 75 yards below the Town's Mill darn, and
that in the fall of 1846 he settled on the north side of
the Gabriel and that Capt. Ross' rangers helped him
"raise" his to cabin which was near this "Trail" which
he said crossed the Brazos River at the Falls, Little
River between the three forks and Bryant's Station,
crossing Possum Creek where the Dick Robbins place is
now situated and passed through the "gap," crossing
Brushy Creek near the place where Kenneny established
his stockade, or fort. He also said that General
McLeod's camp for the rendezvous of the Santa Fe
Expedition, was in the bottoms on the oppolite side of
Brushy Creek, from where the residence of the late Capt.
Nelson Merrelle is now situated and that when that
expedition took up their line of march for Santa Fe,
they intersected this "Double File Trail" between Brushy
Creek and Chandler's Branch and followed it to the
Little River Crossing. That when they reached the
Gabriel they camped there the first night after leaving
Brushy Creek and finding their wagons too heavily
loaded, they threw one or two wagon loads of lead into a
hole of water just below the crossing.
George W. Kendall, in his history of the Santa Fe
Expedition, says he, in company with President Mirabeau
B. Lamar and one or two others left Austin on the
morning of June 20, 1842, for Gen. McLeods camp, which
was situated . on the south side of Brushy Creek near a
large spring and that the next morning after breakfast
President Lamar addressed the troops and then they
started on their ill-fated march, reaching the Gabriel
that night where they camped, and the next morning after
leaving camp, and while on the march, Major Bird, a
member of the expedition pointed out a place in a barnch
not far from the foot of a hill where the year before
with 30 or 40 rangers, he had a fight with three or
four-times that number of Indians. Continuing Kendall's
account he says they camped that night on O'Possum Creek
and the next night on Deep Creek—evidently mistaken for
Donnohoe's Creek—and the next night at Little River
where they remained in camp several days on account of
Gen. McLeod being sick; that when he recovered and they
took up their line of march they changed their course to
the left.
Major Bird's Indian fight was in the branch not far from
the point of the hill upon which Elias Queen's
residence, of Bird's Indian fight together with the line
of march described by Kendall, corroborates Col.
Dalrymple's description of the general course and
crossing of the old "Double File Trail."
My father came to Texas in the fall of 1847 (Nov. 25th)
and for a year or so lived on Brushy Creek near what was
then known as the "Watkins Crossing." John Graham, the
great uncle of our fellow townsman, D. L. Graham, was
then living In Kenney's Fort. On the north side of the
creek near this old crossing was a mile race track.
Going north again from this point the old "Trail" turned
somewhat west, passing near and to the left of where the
old Freeman Smalley grave yard was established in 1851.
It continued on in that direction over the hill, now in
Merrill's field, past where Frank Smalley settled, to
the valley on the south side of Chandler's Branch,
passing the place afterward settled by "Bony" Ferguson,
now owned by M. Jester. At this point it turned up the
branch and passing the widow Chandlers afterwards where
Thomas Thaxton lived for many years, it crossed the
branch and then turning somewhat more to the east it
passed the upper or west end of the "Mesquite Flat" near
where the east line of Henry Tisdale's field is at this
time; near there it ascended the high point where some
live oak trees are standing; passing ease of Wm. Palm's
house, it ran in a few steps to the east of where J. J.
Johnson's old two-story stone dwelling house is now
situated. There it again turned to the east and crossed
Mankin's branch, not far from where the late Richard
Sanson settled, now known as the LaRue place; from there
it ran into an almost direct line to the Gabriel,
crossing the creek about 75 or 80 yards below the Towns
mill dam. This "Trail" has now, with few exceptions,
faded from the memory of man, yet it can be identified
at many places along the line here indicated by marks
still on the ground, but like all things else
terrestrial it has become almost obliterated by the
mutations of time.
Soon after Dr. Kenney occupied his fort, perhaps the
next year, 1839, Capt. N. M. Merrille settled on the
north side of Chandler's branch about opposite Mrs. John
Palm's present residence. Joseph Barnhart made a
settlement about the same time at the place now owned by
Capt. Wm. Palm and Capt. Ladd settled across the branch
over near Brushy creek, and Davis Chandler, soon after
this, settled the Watkin's place, below the mouth of
Chandler's branch, then called Ladd's creek. In going to
and returning from Austin it is very probable the
settler's made a road up Brushy Creek, crossing near or
at the same place the Hutto and Round Rock road now
crosses the creek. This point is a short distance above
the place of rendezvous of the Santa Fe Expedition, and
while the troops were encamped there (1842) it is
equally probable that whatever supplies they obtained
from Austin were drawn over this road. Then while Capt.
Ross was stationed at the crossing on the Gabriel (1846)
it is probable that whatever • commissary and
quartermaster stores that were issued by the government
to this company were hauled over this road to the point
where it intersects the old "Double File Trail" on the
north side of Brushy creek and from there traveled to
the station. This, I think, in all probability accounts
for the road that has been so often mistaken by some
people for the "Old Double File Trail."
THE DOUBLE FILE TRAIL in
Williamson County - narrative
by Clara S. Scarbrough May 8, 1978
The Double File Trail, laid out
about 1828 or 1829 by Delaware Indians, joins "The
Redlands; as the Delaware called their one time East
Texas home, with a section of Mexico near the Rio Grande
in the area of present Nuevo Laredo. (1)
Some of the Delaware tribe, who
gradually migrated westward as the Anglo movement west
from the American colonies made expedient, had moved
west of the Sabine River about 1820. In the early 1600s,
they occupied New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania and
Delaware; about 1770 they moved to Indiana, and in 1789
some went to Missouri and later to Arkansas. From there
they drifted into Texas, living in the general area of
present Nacogdoches. Jean Louis Berlandier cited figures
of Stephen F. Austin, David G. Burnet and others
estimating that from 200 to 250 families of Delaware
occupied the section of East Texas the Indians called
"The Redlands" during the decade of the 1820s, but by
1830, Berlandier states that only 150 families remained
there. (2) Those who left established the Double File
Trail as they sought new living space south of the Rio
Grande. Some of the tribe remained in East Texas and
periodically they used the trail to visit their
relations in Mexico, or those to the south returned to
their former home in Texas via that route. (3)
The route chosen by the Delaware
joined good river and creek crossings in Williamson
County--crossings which had been used by buffalo for
fording the streams--and followed in a general way the
smoother contours of the land a few miles east of the
rugged Balcones Escarpment. Within a few years after the
trail was cleared, it was utilized by the Texans,
including surveying parties, explorers, the earliest
settlers to what would become Williamson County, the
Texas Rangers, and military expeditions. (4)
More specifically, the Double File
Trail crossed the Colorado River (in present Travis
County) near Webberville, east of Waterloo/Austin;
entered Williamson County south of Kenney Fort and
crossed Brushy Creek where Kenney Fort was established a
decade later. This crossing was 250 yards below the
Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad bridge near the Fort and
also not far from Palm Valley Church, east of Round
Rock. As the Trail approached Palm Valley, it turned
west and passed just west of the Freeman Smalley
graveyard, which is about .7 mile north of State Highway
79 and a few hundred feet south of a gravel road which
leads east from FM Road 1460. It continued over the hill
in Merrell's field past Frank Smalley's house south of
Chandler Branch, went by the Bony Ferguson (later J. M.
Jester) place and up Chandler Branch past the widow
Chandler's home (later Thomas Thaxton), crossed Chandler
Branch and turned east, passing by the west end of
Mesquite Flat near the east line of Henry Tisdale's
field. Near there, it climbed to a high point near a
clump of live oaks, passing east of the Joseph Barnhart
place (later owned by William and Henry Palm, John
Caldwell, and in 1978 is the fine, restored home of John
Nash). It continued northward and east to near the two
story home of J. J. Johnson (near County Road 100),
turning east to cross Mankin's Branch near the Richard
Sansom (later LaRue) place, and on to the San Gabriel
River, where it crossed the stream 75 or 80 yards below
where Towns Mill Dam was later built. It crossed a small
branch near the Elias Queen residence on Queen Hill,
east of present Weir, forded Opossum Creek on the Dick
Robbins place east of Walburg, and continued in an
easterly direction, bearing a little to the north,
across Donahoe Creek and into present Bell County. It
then headed for Bryant's Station on Little River
(between Davilla and Buckholts), crossed Little River
between Bryant's Station and Three Forks (just below the
Forks). The Trail crossed the Brazos River at Sarahville
de Viesca (later the town of Milam), near the Falls and
present Marlin. (5)**
Jim (sometimes Jem) Shaw, a
Delaware who served as scout and interpreter to the
Texas Army in the 1840s and 1850s, said that those of
his tribe who made the trail rode in two files as they
moved from East Texas to Mexico, so that two horsemen
could ride along it side by side, or wagons could use
the double trail for the wagon wheels. (6) (see Map)
In addition to serving the Delaware
tribe as a highway across Texas, the Double File Trail
figured in a number of significant historical events of
Williamson County. In 1838, pioneer Doctor Thomas Kenney
built a fort on Brushy Creek where the Double File Trail
intersected it. Kenney Fort was a way-station for Texas
Rangers, explorers, surveyors and pioneers who
occasionally passed through this fen-sparsely settled
section of central Texas. In 1841, the Santa Fe
Expedition assembled across the Creek from Kenney Fort,
joined the Double File Trail before reaching Chandler
Branch, and continued on that Trail through Williamson
County. Its campsite on the first night of the trip was
at Double File Trail on San Gabriel River, for which
Kendall, Loomis and others have provided considerable
description. The awkwardly-managed Expedition camped at
the Trail crossing on Opossum Creek the second night and
are believed to have camped on Donahoe Creek their third
night.?
Texas Rangers of the early years
often rode the Double File Trail and the confrontation
ending the Archives War took place at the Kenney
Fort-Double File Crossing site late in 1842.8
Quartermaster and commissary supply wagons traveled the
Trail in the 1840s. In 1846, Captain Shapley Prince Ross
and his Rangers were stationed at the Double File Trail
crossing on San Gabriel River during the fall and
winter. About the same time, Col. W. C. Dalrymple raised
his log home on the northeast bank of the River near the
Trail and) within a few years, Elias A. Queen and Calvin
Weir settled their homesteads nearby. (9)
As Williamson County became more
populated and roads were built, the Double File Trail
was used less and less, but it continued to be useful at
times, and in sections, through cattle drive days. The
Trail was said to have been easily recognized, if not in
continuous use, until the coming of the twentieth
century. Early county historian W. K. Makemson, whose
interviews with Jim Shaw and knowledge of the early days
of the county have provided us much information about
the Trail, wrote in 1923 that "this 'Trail' has now,
with few exceptions, faded from the memory of man, yet
it can be identified at many places . . . by marks still
on the ground: (11)
Probably the best-known section of
the Double File Trail in Williamson County after the
Civil War was at it’s San Gabriel River crossing. Here
in 1870, James "Jim" Francis Towns, then age 20, built a
flour mill called Excelsior Mill on the east bank along
with Towns Mill Dam. He and his brother, Robert W.
Towns, and their sons, all mechanics and engineers,
operated a thriving business, soon adding a gin nearby,
other businesses elsewhere in the county and also at
Salado. A community sprang up, known as Townsville. Lucy
Weir ran a general store and in 1895, James F. Towns was
appointed postmaster of the new Post Office. The
projection and building of a railroad nearby from 1890
to 1904 eventually led to the transfer of the store and
post office to the new town of Weir created by the
railroad, by 1903. The mill, gin, and a blacksmith shop
continued to operate at the Double File Crossing site
for a number of years, however, a short distance west of
Weir. (11)
In this same area, just above Towns
Mill Dam, the large San Gabriel River spread into a
lake. The new railroad also crossed the River at this
point and officials decided the lake would make a good
resort development. So Katy Lake was widely advertised
by the railroad, which offered boat docks, boats, camp
grounds, picnic sites, a dance pavilion "and the finest
scenery anywhere on the railroad between St. Louis and
Georgetown." The place opened in 1904 and operated until
1913, when a flood carried away all the facilities.12
This last place actively in use along the Double File
Trail was out of business, "obliterated by the mutations
of time," as Makemson described it. (13)
** County map with route of the
Double File Trail indicated is enclosed. FOOTNOTES
1. William K. Makemson in
Williamson County Sun, April 27, 1923; Scarbrough, 73.
2. Berlandier, 113, 125.
3. Makemson in aline ibid.
4. Scarbrough, 73-75.
5. Makemson in Sun, „ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Scarbrough, 83-85, 97-101;
Kendall, 84-85, 89-91; Loomis, 25.
8. Scarbrough, 73, 101-03.
9. Makemson, Historical Sketch of
Williamson County, 10
10. Makemson in Sun, ibid.
11. Scarbrough, 234, 333-34,
459-60.
12. Scarbrough, 334.
13. Makemson in Sun, ibid.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Williamson County Sun, April 27,
1923.
Clara Stearns Scarbrough. Land of
Good Water. Sun Publ., Georgetown, 1973.
Jean Louis Berlandier. The Indians
of Texas in 1830. Smithsonian
Institution Press, 1969.
W. K. Makemson, Historical Sketch
of Williamson County. Sun Print,
Georgetown, Texas, 1904.
|
|
click on photo for an enlarged
|
Williamson County 
