San Felipe Springs
Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Oasis for explorers, soldiers, freighters--from 1542 onward. In 1675 priests named the 7 Springs for King of Spain. In 18th century Comanches camped here on their war trail into Mexico. In 1808 a mission was established 3 miles downstream, on San Felipe Creek. By 1856-57, Springs were on the 1470-mile San Antonio-to-San Diego mail route and on Chihuahua Road for wagons hauling silver and gold from Mexico to Inidanola, then chief port on Texas Coast. After settlers came in 1864, irrigation "Mother Ditch" was dug; soon Del Rio was founded. (1966)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The seven San Felipe Springs have drawn travelers since at least 1542, and in 1675 Spanish priests named them for their king; in the 1700s Comanches camped here along a war trail into Mexico, and a mission rose downstream in 1808. By the 1850s the springs lay on the vast San Antonio–to–San Diego mail route and the Chihuahua Road, where wagons hauled Mexican silver and gold toward the Gulf port of Indianola. After settlers arrived in 1864 and dug the 'Mother Ditch' for irrigation, the town of Del Rio soon took root.
Why it matters
San Felipe Springs is a crossroads of the Southwest, where Indigenous war trails, Spanish missions, transcontinental mail, and the founding of a border town all converged on a single desert oasis.
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