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Salado Valley

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Because of fertile soil and abundant water, was a favored dwelling place and hunting ground for south Texas Indian tribes in Pre-Columbian times. In 1709 Spanish explorers discovered and named Salado Creek; soon after, this valley beame a well-known resting and watering spot between San Antonio and all points east. In 1731, with the arrival in San Antonio of the Canary Islanders (the first civilian colonists), Salado Creek became a town boundary. In 1836 Mexican Gen. Santa Anna crossed the valley prior to defeat by Texan Revolutionary forces at San Jacinto. In 1842 the valley saw two other fights against Mexican troops: the victorious "second battle of the Salado"; and "Dawson's Massacre", in which 33 Texans were slain attempting to reach safety. During the 19th century, Salado Valley was also crossed by the Goliad, Gonzales, Nacogdoches, and San Antonio roads--major travel arteries. The valley was a key to increasing United States military strength, 1876, when it became site of Fort Sam Houston. Other military units followed, including Brooks Air Force Base in 1917. Thus the valley has been an important factor in both the development and defence of Texas from Colonial to modern times.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Fertile and well-watered, the Salado Valley was a favored dwelling place of South Texas Indian peoples long before Spanish explorers named Salado Creek in 1709 and Canary Island colonists made it a town boundary of San Antonio in 1731. It witnessed Santa Anna's march in 1836 and, in 1842, both the victorious "second battle of the Salado" and the tragic Dawson Massacre. Crossed by the great roads to Goliad, Gonzales, and Nacogdoches, the valley later became home to Fort Sam Houston in 1876 and Brooks Field in 1917.

Why it matters

Few places compress so much of Texas history into one landscape—Native ground, Spanish settlement, revolutionary battlefield, and cornerstone of the state's modern military might.

The story behind this marker

AI context

The era

Long before San Antonio existed, the Salado Creek valley was good country to live in. Its soil was rich and its water plentiful, and the Native peoples of South Texas lived and hunted here for generations before any European arrived. For them the valley was a place to make camp, hunt game and gather food.

Spanish explorers reached the creek in 1709 and named it. In the following decades, as Spain established San Antonio in the early 1700s as an outpost on its northern frontier, the valley became a familiar resting and watering stop for anyone traveling between San Antonio and points east. When settlers from the Canary Islands arrived in 1731, the first civilian colonists in the settlement, Salado Creek became one of the town's boundaries.

In the 1800s Texas changed hands again and again: Spanish, then Mexican, then an independent republic, and finally part of the United States. The Salado Valley saw a good deal of that turmoil. Later, when San Antonio grew into one of the nation's great military centers, the valley was part of that too.

People & events

In 1836, during the Texas Revolution, the Mexican general and president Antonio López de Santa Anna crossed this valley. His army had taken the Alamo in San Antonio and was moving east after the rebel Texans. A few weeks later, at San Jacinto, the Texans defeated his army and captured Santa Anna himself, which effectively won Texas its independence.

Independence did not bring peace. In 1842, Mexican troops invaded Texas and occupied San Antonio, and the Salado Valley saw fighting twice. In the victorious "second battle of the Salado," Texan volunteers held their ground along the creek against the Mexican force. Nearby, the same fight produced a tragedy. A company of Texans hurrying to join the battle was caught in the open and surrounded, and in what became known as Dawson's Massacre, 33 of them were killed trying to reach safety.

The valley's later story is about roads and soldiers. Through the 1800s, travelers, freight and armies moved through it along the Goliad, Gonzales, Nacogdoches and San Antonio roads, the main routes tying San Antonio to the rest of Texas. In 1876 the valley became the site of Fort Sam Houston, part of a growing U.S. military presence. Other installations followed, including the airfield that became Brooks Air Force Base, which began in 1917 as the United States entered the First World War.

Its place in the American story

Few American landscapes hold as many eras of history as this one. Native homeland, Spanish frontier, Canary Island colony, revolutionary battleground, crossroads of the Republic of Texas, and finally a center of American military power: the Salado Valley saw all of it, and each era left its mark.

The fighting of 1836 and 1842 shaped how Texas became part of the United States. The Texan victory in 1836 created the Republic of Texas. The Mexican invasions of 1842 showed how unsettled the border remained, and that insecurity helped push Texas toward annexation by the United States in 1845. That annexation in turn led to the U.S.-Mexican War, which reshaped the map of North America.

In modern times, San Antonio's military installations have trained generations of American soldiers and aviators. The same valley that once sheltered hunting camps and wagon trains helped train them.

If you visit

Today the Salado Valley lies within the busy, sprawling city of San Antonio, so you'll need some imagination to see the old landscape. Look for the line of trees that marks the creek. That green corridor is what made the valley a watering place for travelers for centuries.

You can follow parts of the creek on the city's greenway trails, a pleasant way to walk or bike through the valley's natural side. The 1842 fighting is commemorated elsewhere along the creek, and San Antonio's Spanish colonial history, from the Alamo to the missions, is close by.

This stop fits naturally into a San Antonio history trip. Start with the Spanish colonial story downtown, add the revolutionary era at the Alamo, and come here to see how one valley ties those stories together. Families will appreciate that the history is spread out, so you can mix short stops with time outdoors.

Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.

Plan your visit

Nearby

Make a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.

Museums & culture

Attractions

Food & drink

  • Margaritaville
    4.6 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
  • Taco Bell
    4.6 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
  • Which Wich?
    4.7 mi away
  • Chipotle
    4.7 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
  • Colonial Room
    4.7 mi away · 204 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX
  • Starbucks
    4.7 mi away · 849 East commerce, San Antonio, TX

Places to stay

Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.

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Related people

  • · Santa Anna

Related events

  • · Second Battle of the Salado
  • · Dawson's Massacre

Themes & tags

Native American HistoryMilitary & WartimeTransportationLandmark

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