Our History

The El Camino Real River Crossing Events Center is located on the National Trail, El Camino Real de los Tejas, nestled amongst 300 year old pecan trees and next to the San Gabriel River in Rockdale, Texas.

 

Long before Spain began using the trail for the "Kings Highway" to export goods to Mexico City, Native Americans journeyed the same path for thousands of years. The use of trail by the Spanish Expidetionists created small settlements along the nearby water sources off the trail. Eventually these settlements manifested into established villages which became the cities we are familiar with in Texas today. 

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Many of the villages did not survive, some merged, and others simply had a name change. One great example is Waterloo, now known as Austin, Texas. The El Camino Real de los Tejas National Trail shaped Texas and other Southern States of the United States into what they are today. We are proud to be apart of such rich American and Texan history and honored to help preserve it. 

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You can read more about the San Gabriel River, the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Trail, and the history of Texas and other Southern State's missions and establishments along the way here.