The Gotier Trace

Originating in the 1820s, the Gotier Trace crossed the present counties of Austin, Washington, Fayette, Lee, and Bastrop, joining San Felipe, capital of Stephen F. Austin's colony, with Bastrop. It was marked by James Gotier, a settler who, with several in his family, died in an Indian massacre near this trace in 1837. Like most early Texas roads, it was only a marked route that travelers could follow, dusty in droughts and boggy in rains. From such traces, wagon roads, and cattle trails, Texas developed more than 67,000 miles of fine paved highways in a system recognized as the nation's finest.

Bastrop, Texas · United States