OLD DIARIES AND MEMOIRS THAT PERTAIN TO EARLY EAST TEXAS 

    The Spanish kings and their Viceroys (Vice Kings) insisted that everything their people did be carefully documented.  History lovers are fortunate to be able to access this legacy.  Most of these old papers are stored in the Archive de Indios at Seville, Spain and at the achieves in Mexico City.  The original diaries that were made on the early trips through and into East Texas are not only fascinating reading, they take us back in time and give us word-pictures of how it really was.  Anyone who loves Texas history must read these diaries.

    Diaries are like movies - they give word pictures day-by-day accounts of the topography Indians met, native plants, wild game encountered, difficulties of travel, exciting events such as crossing flooded rivers, and more.  They make wonderful reading and give the reader a deep appreciation of the sacrifices that the early settlers (Spanish, Mexican and Anglo) made in order to tame the vast and wild East Texas wilderness.

1. Caboza de Vaca's Report - The first whites to make contact with the East Texas Caddoan Indians.
2. De Sotas men rode across East Texas and stayed a time with the Nacogdoche (Nachodoches) tribe.
3. The Frenchman, La Salle, visited the East Texas Hasinai Indians.  He spent weeks with the Nacogdoche tribe.
4. The entrada of 1690 was made to bring Christianity to the Tejas/Hasinai Nebedoche tribe - these were the first to be called the Tejas.  This would be the first mission in East Texas.  It was located a few miles east of the Neches River and beside the ancient trail called El Camino de Las Tejas (now roughly Highway 21).  Captain Alonzo de Leon led priests and soldiers to found this mission.  The first livestock were introduced into East Texas - these would become the first Texas longhorns.
5. Belle Isle - The French explorer stayed several months with the famous Angelina of the Hainai tribe located on the Angelina River west of the community of Douglass.  This is his memoir
6. The big entrada (entrance) of the Spanish in 1716.  Eighty men, women and children, including priests and soldiers moved to East Texas and quickly string six missions across it from the Neches River to near Natchitoches, Louisiana.  This was the real beginning of Texas.  Two diaries are available:

1. The diary of Captain Domingo Ramon, the military leader.
2. The diary of Fray Isidro Felis de Espinosa.

Thousand more head of livestock were added to the forest of East Texas.  By the mid-1800s, cattle and horses were being driven to Louisiana, beginning the very first trail drives.

7. The diary of the French trader St. Denis who's headquarters were at Natchitoches.  St. Denis freely operated among the Tejas/Hasinai tribes of East Texas and helped lead Ramon's entrada into East Texas because he knew the terrain.
8. The six missions were closed because of an attack by a handful of French soldiers from Natchitoches.  This was the mission Los Adais that was located nearest them.  Not knowing what to do and when no help came to them, they finally decided to vacate East Texas.  This was the only time East Texas was completely vacated - even a few remained during the "run away scrape."  This made East Texas totally void of all Spanish for three years when they all trudged to the New Frontier Mission at Baxer (San Antonio).  Two years later in 1721, a new, very large entrada returned to East Texas to refound and strengthen all six missions and build a fort.  One hundred Spanish soldiers were included in this major entrada and St. Denis was ordered out of Texas.  East Texas would be settled by Europeans from this point onward.

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