Gotcher Trace
La Grange, Fayette County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Opened about 1828 by James Gotcher from Alabama, a settler on Rabb's Creek in present Lee County, as route from San Felipe, in Stephen F. Austin's original colony, to Bastrop in second or "little" colony. A short, exposed route to the upper settlements, this trace shared with nearby Wilbarger Trace the title of "via Dolorosa" of early Texas, as both were marked by tragedies. Gotcher moved to this area, and in 1836 six people of his family were killed and several captured during an Indian attack. At this point the trace is crossed by a 20th century road.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Opened around 1828 by Alabama settler James Gotcher, this trace linked San Felipe in Stephen F. Austin's colony with Bastrop in the "little" colony to the north. Short but dangerously exposed, it and the nearby Wilbarger Trace earned the grim nickname "via Dolorosa" of early Texas for the tragedies along them. Gotcher himself settled in this area, and in 1836 six of his family were killed and others taken captive in an Indian attack.
Why it matters
The Gotcher Trace marks the perilous everyday reality of frontier travel in Mexican and early republican Texas, where opening a road meant risking one's life to knit scattered colonies together.
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Related people
- · James Gotcher
- · Stephen F. Austin
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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