rdprdp01
Administrator
Thread starter
In 1968, San Antonio hosted HemisFair ’68, an official world’s fair celebrating the city's 250th anniversary. My family lived in Texas then. I vaguely remember some event, but I cannot confirm we actually attended. I can say with complete confidence that we watched the Dallas Cowboys play football that weekend.
John Connally, Texas Governor and an old-school man of the people, tasked the Highway Department with creating 10 scenic driving trails before out-of-state visitors arrived to celebrate the moment. The governor wanted to encourage fairgoers to explore rural Texas and not just the growing cities. The state posted highway markers along existing paved farm-to-market roads and scenic state routes. Many still remain, a testament to Governor Connally’s desire to give rural Texas the recognition it deserved and preserve a way of life that was already starting to fade.
A 640-mile driving loop winds through granite domes, limestone bluffs, spring-fed rivers, and historic towns such as Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Bandera, Blanco, and Johnson City. I cannot speak to the success of the effort in the 1960s, but cyclists, motorcyclists, campers, and those inclined to wander still drive the route today.
Fredericksburg is the route’s crown jewel. Although it has fewer than 11,000 people, it has become a destination surrounded by hills year-round and bluebonnets in season. Fredericksburg has a timeless quality that endures. German settlers first erected tents and then built proper homes. Business grew organically to meet the needs of ranchers, farmers, and dairies.
When I visited last weekend, I was surprised to see a few signs involving the great battle of the Alamo, given that Fredericksburg was founded 10 years after the battle ended. Never underestimate an enterprising Chamber of Commerce looking for any hook to bring people to Main Street. I hope you enjoy the pictures. From my home in Round Mountain, it is a wonderful ride to the perfect intersection of Texas’ past and present. But you could start your ride from any place in the United States and arrive in Fredericksburg and be the better for it.
