Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
El Camino Real Trail, a ‘sign’ of Milam’s future
JUDGE’S COMMENTS
David Barkemeyer
Milam County Judge
The El Camino Real de los Tejas trail has been traveled through Milam County for almost
200 years and we’re just getting around to putting signs on it.
In a way, you have to stop and give that some thought. Sorry, just had to be a wise guy
for a minute.
Actually, it’s a great idea, and we’re going to be the first county in the state to
erect signage on the trail.
If everything goes as planned, on Oct. 8, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and former
Congressman Ciro Rodriguez from San Antonio, who sponsored the legislation naming the
El Camino as a National Trail, will be here along with other dignitaries for a ceremony
to dedicate the new signage and otherwise launch the national trail through Texas.
Quite an honor for our county. We have our local Historical Commission folks such as
Dr. Lucile Estell and Joy Graham who are on the El Camino Real de los Tejas State Board
to thank for aggressively pursuing getting the signs for us.
They indicated that the Santa Fe Division of the National Park Service recommended
Milam County be the recipients of the first signs.
A huge thank you goes to the Milam County Historical Commission Preservation Trust, the
cities of Cameron and Rockdale, and the National Park Service who combined to pay for
the signs.
Milam County Commissioners, led by Commissioner Jeff Muegge, will be responsible for
installation.
To expedite utilization of the trail from a tourism stand point, a steering committee
has been formed to initiate the first annual El Camino Real Trade Days event which is
being planned for Oct. 27-28.
This group is made up of the heads of our three chambers of commerce along with several
community leaders from around the county and will feature a series of events from
Thorndale to Rockdale to Cameron and will be concluded by a live auction at Apache
Pass.
You’ll be hearing a lot more about the details as the trade days approach.
Milam County is blessed with some world class historical sites, some outstanding
museums, now connected by a designated National Historical Trail.
It’s appropriate that we move forward to take advantage of these county assets.
dbarkemeyer@milamcounty.net
.
All credit for this article goes to
Judge David Barkemeyer
and the
Rockdale Reporter
Judge David Barkemeyer
and the
Rockdale Reporter