A Brief Timeline
4000 BC
The first inhabitants of North America found the springs and streams of the western Hill Country which offered essentials of life in a dry & rocky terrains. They left their stories in extensive rock art painted on the walls of limestone shelters along the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Highway 90 West is the gateway to many of these ancient sites.
1700's
In the early 1700's the Spanish established a cluster of several missions in a place that is now known as San Antonio and the heartbeat of early European settlement in Texas.
1840's
German immigrants were some of the first to push past the Balcones Escarpment to settle on the thinner soils of the Hill County. US Highway 90 (and parts of Interstate 10) form the backbone of the historic "German Belt" in south-central Texas. Driven by the mass migration wave of the Adelsverein, thousands of families arrived via coastal ports and moved inland to establish deep cultural roots.
1850's
The California Gold rush demanded the first transcontinental travel across Texas territory. Comanche and Apache tribes had blocked many of these routes, therefore a government road was put in place for safer travel. This route had many forts and outposts at desert watering holes. Seminole Scouts led the way for the US Army and Buffalo Soilders manned the forts.
1880's
Major settlement came with the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The western region of Texas saw an influx of Chinese immigrants that worked on the Southern Pacific line near Langtry, TX.
1890's
In 1899 the US Geological Survey exposed to the world the first photos and survey of the magnificent canyons and landscapes of the Big Bend.
1920's
The age of the automobile brought the need for transcontinental highways. US Hwy 90 became the southermost national artery, running alongside the Southern Pacific Railroad. Tourist courts and roadside stops sprang up every 30 miles.
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1940's
Highway 90 West was a thriving and busy highway that served as the main route from San Antonio to El Paso for decades.
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1970's
The path of Interstate 10 was finalized and went directly from San Antonio across the top of the Edwards Plateau. This new interstate cut off dozens of Highway 90 towns and communities from the lifeblood of long-distance travelers. The economies suffered, but we recognize that the scenic beauty was preserved.
Present Day
Highway 90 was declared a historic highway, creating a new legacy of what was once forgotten. The twenty-one towns that make up the Western portion represent the crossroads of cultures along with the magestic beauty of the western Hill Country and Big Bend region.