As the population increased in Angelina and Cherokee counties in the 1860s, a formal system of roads began to take shape. Before that time, roads were usually forged by farmers and other pioneers carrying goods to market or traveling to new homes, as in other areas of Texas. Construction of a road from Homer, then the Angelina County seat, to Alto began in 1860. The survey crew followed buffalo and Indian trails to determine the best route. Once open, it served as the official mail route from Homer to Alto and then on to Rusk, the Cherokee County seat. It passed through the community known as Denman Springs until 1886, when Lufkin was created there and the road became Denman Avenue. The main part of the Homer-Alto Road became State Highway 40 in the 1930s and later U.S. Highway 69.