The History of Camp Street
Part 1
Oftentimes, we go through life’s daily routines with minimal concern about things in our surroundings that are just taken for granted. However, a question posed several years ago has remained in the back of my mind. At the time, I didn’t have an answer for the inquirer, who asked, “Why do we have a street in La Grange named Camp Street?” Considering that many of the streets in La Grange were named for presidents; some of the heroes of the Alamo; early city leaders; the Colorado River; trees; or town boundaries like Lower Line, Upper Line, and Northline, now Roitsch Street, the name of Camp Street’s origin seemed to be a mystery.
Camp Street is a disjointed street that starts and stops as it traverses our town. A short one-block section on the west side of town can be found between N. Water and N. Main Streets just above W. Pearl Street. It then reappears as a narrow one-lane alley off Hwy 77 N., widening out into regular street width at N. Franklin Street until it ends again at N. Jackson Street. Then it reappears off N. College Street, one block south of Upper Line Street. After crossing Horton Street, it goes into the Rosenberg Addition for one block to its eastern terminus. However, if one follows the street on a map, it is evident that it originally followed an almost straight line, but parts were obliterated for one reason or another. A section of what would have been a through street is now part of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Randolph School properties.
Following its angled route, unlike the mostly square grid of streets in town, one begins to wonder – was this previously part of an early trail or road that existed before La Grange was established? Was it a later part of a connecting road from one significant location to another?
Is the name “Camp” a clue?
We know from documented history that the old La Bahia Road, already in existence in the 18th century, ran north of and somewhat parallel to Highways 237 and 159 and crossed the Colorado River near present-day La Grange, continuing to Goliad, originally known as La Ba- hia. One of the first overland routes used by European explorers of Texas, the La Bahia Road was originally an east-west Indian trail in southeastern Texas and Louisiana. It is probably older than the El Camino Real and figured importantly in the movement of explorers, traders, soldiers and early settlers. Existing deep wagon ruts found on private property near Rutersville help to substantiate the existence of the old road in our area, along with old maps. The road meandered to provide the best crossings over creeks and branches and to stay on high ground as much as possible to avoid impassable quagmires after heavy rains. Crossing the Colorado River would have posed a huge challenge; however, a low water crossing with a hard rock bottom in the river was found in the Rabbs Prairie area above La Grange, providing safe passage across the river. That crossing had been used by herds of bison and Native Americans long before the La Bahia Road was established. Later, the road followed a shorter route that would become Lafayette Street in La Grange, crossing the river where Moore’s ferry was located. Early travelers on the road were also in need of fresh water supplies, so they searched for springs along the way. Finding documentation of the existence of one of the springs provided a helpful clue.
After a chance discovery in the Fayette County deed records of a property transfer in the eastern section of the John H. Moore one-half league, the first piece of the puzzle fell into place. The specific mention of Campground Spring and Cedar Creek in that deed record indicates a spring was located along Cedar Creek; it most probably had been used for years as a stopover place or campground for early travelers on the La Bahia Road, hence the name. Spring water was preferred over water from rivers or creeks that were contaminated with pollutants like animal excrement, which caused serious illnesses.
Another deed for a land transaction on the east side of Cedar Creek in the same area mentions a spring branch emptying into the creek, so again, there is documentation that more springs were probably present in one of the creek’s branches.
After probably passing by a spring-fed pool in the creek, the old La Bahia Road ascended the hill and stayed on the high ridge, eventually veering to probably parallel present- day Hwy 77 until it exited the escarpment into Rabbs Prairie, where the road went through the river at the low water crossing. Before Hurricane Harvey totally changed the landscape along the river, the deep cuts in the banks at that crossing, indicating the entrance and exit points of the road, were still evident.
