Lohmans Crossing
Lakeway, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A native of Hanover, Germany, John Henry Lohmans emigrated to Texas in 1842. He settled in Austin where he opened a large dairy farm. In 1867 he moved into this area west of Austin and cleared a farm out of the abundant timberland. Lohmans worked on several road construction projects in the area and privately financed the building of Lohmans Ford Road. Lohmans Crossing Road (.5 mi. W) follows the general path of the early route. Lohmans Ford Road, along with others in the area, was significant in the formation of an early Colorado River crossing network. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John Henry Lohmans left Hanover, Germany, for the Republic of Texas in 1842, first running a dairy farm near Austin before pushing west in 1867 to carve a homestead from the timbered hills above the Colorado River. A road-builder as well as a farmer, he personally financed Lohmans Ford Road, one strand in the web of early crossings that let settlers and goods move through this rugged country. Today's Lohmans Crossing Road still traces the general path of that pioneer route.
Why it matters
It marks how immigrant labor and privately built roads knit together the crossing networks that opened the Texas Hill Country to settlement.
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Related people
- · John Henry Lohmans
Themes & tags
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