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under Mendoza and from below El Paso killed their first buffalo at Comanche Spring's. The treaty following the Mexican War of 1840-47 required the United States to prevent the northern Indians from invading Mexico. Forts and garrisons were planted at these watering places from San Antonio to San Diego. Seventy years previously the Spaniards planted a string of presidios (forts) and missions near the Rio Grande and westward to California as their northern fortifications against the Indians. This was the stage coach and the mule freight train route between San Antonio and San Diego after the Mexican War. Tlie Old Spanish Trail traverses this historic and remarkable \ territory along essentially the same route except for minor changes due to modern day needs. The old trails to Chihuahua, Mexico, crossed the Pecos River above Fort Lancaster and turned southward at Leon Springs, Ft. Stockton and thru the Paisano Pass to the mouth of the <( Conchos River on the Rio Grande. From this Ft. Stockton country northward the old Connelly trail of 1S39 led to Arkansas. The Indian raids into Mexico ran from 1820 to 1S0O led chiefly by Comanches, Apaches and Iviowas. Watering places on the raiding trails were the Tunas, Comanche and Leon Springs.
HOTEL STOCKTON’ is a commanding stone building and popular. Two smaller hotels. Tree'camp at Comanche Springs. OST Filling Sta. camp and apartments. Many conveniences, well managed. Tlie George Pace garage for every auto service. Old established garage.
BALMORHEA. A green valley of irrigated farms along the painted Davis Mts. with 12 mi. of the OST thru the valley. The water is from the San Solomon Springs 4.4 mi. west from the hotel and from Phantom Springs 8 mi. west and from flood waters from the mountains. Tlie springs flow 25.000.000 gals, daily. The reservoir covers 520 A. and cost ? 125,000. There are 20 mi. of main canals,
32 mi. of service canals, three diversion dams, and many miles of local roads among the intensively cultivated farms.
25.000	tons of alfalfa are produced. 13,000 A. under cultivation. Balmorhea people have fought the battles all pioneers fight. The figures reveal their avliievements.
Good fishing at the reservoir, bathing there and at the springs. Fine road here to Davis Mts.
The BALMORHEA, a small country hotel, clean, good meals. The OST Garage. John 15. Coffey, has a modern building and good service; also maintains a good camp.
PHANTOM LAKE CAMP. West of Balmorhea, 8 mi. at .junction of road to Madera Springs; shade trees, spring water, swimming pool. Cabin ramp and a pleasant place to stop. S1.00-S1.50. Chas. Splittgarber, owner.
MADERA SPRINGS. Road branches from OST at Phantom Lake Camp. An all-year resort, 0.000 ft. high in the mountains: stone lodge; brick, adobe and log cabins: golf, riding horses and burros. The Davis Mts. have the finest all-year climate in the U.S.
McELROY JUNCTION". ITere the P.ankliead Highway thru North Texas joins the OST. Small store. Camp 25c.
KENT. Railroad station. A cottage hotel, 10 rms., meals.
♦VAX HORX. Western entrance to Davis Mts. Jet. rond thru Alpine and Del Rio, also to Carlsbad caverns. 117 mi. north in New Mexico—caverns of marvelous interest. Mica mines near and numerous mineral outcroppings. Three country hotels: CLARK'S HOTEL best. Cabin camps.
SUMMIT. High point 8.5 mi. west of Van Horn. Four Old Spanish Trail summits. This. 4.030 ft. The Continental Divide between Doming and Lordsburg. N. jr.. 4,584 ft. Bisbee. Ariz.. 0,030 ft. AVest of Boulevard, Cal.. 7 mi..
4,103 ft.
♦SIERRA BLANCA. Spanish name for White Mountain. Jet. point of the S.P. and the T.&P. railroads. Cattle ranch country. An arid land set with mountain peaks. PALACE HOTEL, Mrs. A. B. Pascal, has family style meals. LOVE HOTEL, rms. only over store. Camp 25c. Good^railroad lunch room.
FT. HANCOCK. New settlement at crossroads. The highway now follows the course of the Rio Grande into and beyond El Paso. The old town and the remains of the fort (abandoned 1883) are a mile north of the highway. Travelers should slop over and see the irrigated farming development along the river for many miles. Irrigation, old and new, is along the Rio Grande here and there all the way to Brownsville and the gulf. From Ft. Hancock westward to El Paso and northward into New Mexico greater irrigation works will be seen.
The mountains to the south are in Mexico. Mexican settlements and types now frequently seen. Clean lodging and good store at the old town.
FABENS. Well developed irrigation; cotton, alfalfa, truck. Port of entry to Mexico: the border 3 mi. south. New small hotel. Good cabin camp. At Clint a road leads to the old Spanish settlements, founded 1083, of San Eli-zario and Socorro and back to the OST at Ysleta.
THE EL PASO VALLEY
The El Puna—Santa Fe district is one of the five great centers of mission and colonization effort of the Spaniards and the second they started within the present U.S. In 1598 at_ El Faso del Norte (Tlie Pass of tlie North) Don Juan de Onate with his followers took possession of this northern land for “himself, King Phillip II of Spain, and God/* then proceeded northward to colonize in the Santa Fe district. Santa Fe dates from 1605. For several generations the Spaniards developed their interests around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. In 1659 th®
Mission of Nuestra Sefiora de Guadalupe was established at El Paso del Norte, now the church of Juarez. In 1680 the Indians rose in the Great Rebellion around Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
The Spanish and Christian Indian survivors of the massacre fled to the mission at Paso del Norte nearly 400 mi. away.
With this the real history of El Paso and that interesting valley begins. The valley towns of Ysleta. Socorro and San Elizario below' El Paso were slowly established, mothered by the Mission Guadalupe. They date about 1683. The industry always fostered by the pudres, the irrigation and the productiveness of the Valley led to extensive development. The drive around this old district today is an interesting education to Old Spanish Trail travelers. The towns lie on the American side near Ysleta. The El Paso Chamber of Commerce women’s department issues an interesting booklet with map.
Slowly after the rebellion New Mexico was reclaimed and Santa Fe today enjoys historical distinction as the second oldest city in the U.S. El Paso on the American side came into existence after the Mexican War of 1816-17 and Texan Annexation and the old Paso del Norte became Juarez. The old trail from	Mexico City to	Santa	Fe (the ('amino	Real or
King’s Highway) is in this section a	part of the Old	Spanish
Trail of today. It is believed Cabeza de Vaca and his three companions traveled thru the Pass in 1536. These were the J only survivors of the ill-fated I)e Narvaez expedition that	!
landed in proud array at Tampa Bay to take possession of	\
the Floridas. They fought their way around to the Tallahassee country. At St. Mark’s Bay, south of Tallahassee, they gladly escaped the country in crudely constructed boats and	;
/ tri»»d to reach Mexieo. Storms and the great current in the gulf of the Mississippi Kiver beset them; De Narvaez was drowned, tbe survivors were wrecked on the Texas shore and soon only I)e	Vaca and three	others	survived Indian	pursuit
and hardship. For six years they were slaves.to improvident Indians, then	escaped caross	Texas.	Central Texas	Indians
thought De Vara a god and swarms followed him. In western Mexico lie reached his Spanish compatriots. This strange pilgrimage is believed to have gone thru this pass in the mountains. De Vaca’s story is one of the epics of history.
YSLETA. The name is Spanish for little island. Settled by the Spaniards after the great Indian Rebellion in New Mexico in 1080. Tts people are mostly of Spanish or Mexican descent. The old mission, narrow streets and
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