Had to run up to the south end of Bell County Texas today with old son on a project. On the way back to his place, we took a side trip over on one of the old Spanish caminos to the location of the three missions and presidio in the Valley of the San Gabriel river.

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/san-xavier-missions

A bit of background at the above link ^^^

Anyone interested in hearing anymore? I have a few pics

Lemme know and I will add more!

Nice bit if TX history, thanks.

Yes please Sir.

Ok I will start with Professor Herbert Eugene Bolton’s map of the area. He visited the site about 1908. And published this map in 1914 in his “Texas In The Middle Eighteenth Century. The one east/west road on this map
Is now state farm to market road 908 and continues on east to the city of Rockdale approx 9 miles away.



Here is the marker for the Candeleria mission.



As you see on the map it was the furthest west mission on top of a ridge. Down in the bottom land looking west from Candelaria to the location of the presidio. ( big pecan trees in center of photo is pretty close to presidio location. The old irrigation ditch would have been in this field. Chances are this field was under cultivation in colonial times!

Stripped cotton around there years ago and found the place pretty darn good looking.

Lots of small creeks around there.

The link above mentioned the Spanish presidio captain’s lasciviousness. We he was having a thing with one of the wives of one of his enlisted men. Historians are pretty sure he was responsible for the martyrdom of the the good father Ganzabal !!! As well as the murder of his girlfriend’s husband!!!

Yes. My mom’s mother and father were born just to the NW of this area. Naturally they were all cotton sharecroppers

Do tell, sir. I'm all ears. That little tidbit on the monument had caught my eye. Figured it was Indian maiden lasciviousness.

Just a bit further east on FM 908 we get to the location of The original Mission pf San Xavier.



The above photo is looking north back to the San Gabriel river. Now we can also look back west toward the presidio and candeleria would have been far left in those trees



San Ildefonso’s location was speculated by Bolton from spanish records in Mexico when he composed this map. Its location was found I believe about 30 years later. It is on the high ground on that road heading south. Not far from the roadway intersections.


They were all within the area of about 2-3 Spanish leagues. (1 spanish league = 2.63 miles).

Apparently he hired or coaxed some of the natives into murdering these two. But they could really never get it stick. The indians were very hush hush on the subject. And took it all as bad medicine and left the area.

Btw, there is still an old Spanish cemetery across the county road from the Mission Candeleria marker. I and sure there are unmarked colonial graves here dating to the 1750’s!!!

Thanks, Bob - well done and interesting. I wish I knew that much about the historical aspects of the San Xavier Mission out this way south of Tucson proper. I have visited it several times for differing reasons and, if my mem is any good at all. it still serves the tribal folks who were there when founded - Yaquis. maybe I will dig up some more thorough info on San Xavier del Bac as a result of your example here.

Btw, there is still an old Spanish cemetery across the county road from the Mission Candeleria marker. I and sure there are unmarked colonial graves here dating to the 1750’s!!!

Another tidbit of trivia. Noah Smithwick in his monumental memoirs, Evolution of a State, mentions he knew the location of and least one of the "lost” missions. But he would never disclose their location because he felt greedy land speculators would attempt to use their locations to contest grants given to texas revolution veterans.