Some readers may drive along this route and pass this marker every day, while others have never heard its name. The Scenic Loop – Boerne Stage – Toutant-Beauregard Historic Corridor is marked by a state historic marker and is located at the intersection of Toutant-Beauregard road, the Old Boerne Stage Road, and Scenic Loop Drive (Old Spanish Trail), west of Leon Springs in Bexar county, near San Antonio. Now marked by neighborhoods and businesses such as The Point Park & Eats and La Hacienda, the history here deserves to be known.
Photo by Honky Tonk Foodie
History
Not Just A Road: The Leon Springs Historic Corridor
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Over ten thousand years ago, this area was home to Paleo-Indian tribes, evident by found artifacts such as rock structures, stone tools, and burned rock trash dumps. Jumano and Coahuiltecan tribes, then Lipan Apache and Comanche tribes were as prominent here as the flora, fauna, and natural features such as vistas and waterways. Settled by the Prussian von Plehwe family in 1851, this route was part of a wagon trail and stagecoach stop, as well as a trail for cattle drives. The historic corridor was even part of the transcontinental “Old Spanish Trail” Automobile Highway, established in the 1920s. This paved automobile highway stretched across the southern United States and connected various historical points of interest. Here is the route for curious drivers and riders.
Photo: @jloveclicks via Twenty20
In 2011, the 82nd Texas legislature passed House Bill 1499, which bequeathed historic designation to the Scenic Loop, Boerne Stage, and Toutant-Beauregard roads, with a marker erected in 2013 at their intersecting corner. Only a fifth of its original length, this route is currently ten miles long. Concerned citizens have fought to preserve it since 1985 and continue to this day. Perhaps you have seen the ‘Save Scenic Loop’ signs. Do you recall having driven this road and noticing anything to mark its very deep-rooted existence?
