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Roads
and Transportation by Ralph Terry
(From A
History of Coleman County and Its People,
1985
When the first settlers
arrived in the county, they traveled over the
easiest path possible, using landmarks, such as
the Santa Anna Mountains, to guide them.
When the army arrived at Camp Colorado, they found
a road of sorts, called the Military Road, running
from Fort Mason to Fort Belknap, which was
intersected near Trickham by a road coming from
Round Rock. When the county seat was
established at Coleman in 1876, one of the early
orders of business was to lay out roads to Cedar
Gap, Callahan County, Camp Colorado and Byrds
Store, Brownwood, and Runnels County. Over
the years, our roads have been straightened,
widened, and paved. The road from Santa Anna to
Waldrip bridge was paved in 1924, giving precinct
#2 the first paved road, as well as the first
graveled road in the county.
Of course, the first forms of transportation were horses and feet. There were many kinds of wagons and carriages, designed to fit the purpose. Feet have not changed. Railroad tracks crossed the county, and this proved to be a popular way of travel and freighting. But with the invention of the automobile, the entire outlook on roads and travel changed. Charles E. Martin brought the first auto-buggy to Coleman in 1904. Another buggy-style auto was used in 1906 by R. S. Johnson. And today we have the airplane! Images to be added:  The Roads of Coleman County-1883 South Commercial Avenue, Coleman-before paving. |