The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 37, July 1933 - April, 1934 Page: 120
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
for the movement of troops as well as for commercial purposes.
The personnel consisted largely of some friendly Indians and citi-
zens of Austin.17 On March 23 the expedition started from the
North Bosque and moved northward as far as Brady's Creek. The
country from the latter stream to the headwaters of the Concho
Neighbors found greatly undulating with an abundant supply of
grass, water, and timber. Striking out westward at the Concho,
the exploring party pushed on to Horsehead Crossing. On April
17 the expedition reached the Pecos. A week later the explorers
made the Carriso Pass, which they found plentifully supplied with
water but rough and rugged for a considerable distance. The
westerly line of march was followed until El Paso was reached on
May 2. Four days later the expedition started on its homeward
journey. The exploring party traveled eastward over the Guada-
lupe Mountains to the Pecos River. The remainder of the journey
was via Horsehead Crossing, the Concho, Brady's Creek, the San
Saba and Llano Rivers. San Antonio was reached on June 2.
Both Neighbors and Ford reported that the route they followed
would make an excellent wagon road to El Paso.18 The prac-
ticability of a wagon route between Austin and El Paso was fully
established. A section of country hitherto deemed impassable was
opened to the immigrant, the merchant, and the soldier.19
In the year that Neighbors and Ford led their exploring party
to El Paso, United States government officers made no less than
seven official reconnaissances in various portions of the state.
17The party consisted of John Harry, a Delaware; Joe Ellis and Tom
Coshatee, Shawnees; Mo-po-cho-co-po and Buffalo Hump, Comanche Chiefs;
Patrick Gowin a Choctaw; D. C. Sullivan; A. D. Neall; Dr. John S.
Ford. Neighbors to Harney, June 4, 1849. MS., L. R., H. A.
'"Bieber, XII, 354, as cited in note 4; A. E. Whittaker, "The Frontier
Policy of the United States in the Mexican Cession, 1845-1860" (MS.,
University of Texas, M. A. Thesis, 1927), 98.
"The Houston Mercantile Advertiser, December 29, 1849, quoted Neigh-
bors, who first defined the route, as follows: "A better route for a
wagon or railroad, for an equal distance does not exist than from New
Braunfels or Austin to El Paso." F. X. Aubry, famous Santa F6 and
Chihuahua trader, arrived in Victoria, Texas, in the early part of Jan-
uary, 1850, with a caravan of eighteen wagons from Santa Fe. He rep-
resented the Neighbors' road as good, and stated that it could be trav-
eled in about half the time of the old route. He believed that ultimately
the entire trade would take this direction. Houston Mercantile Adver-
tiser, December 29, 1849; Victoria Texian Advocate, January 25, 1850;
Neighbors to Medill, June 18, 1849. MS., L. R., C. I. A.120
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Texas State Historical Association & Barker, Eugene C. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 37, July 1933 - April, 1934, periodical, 1934; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101094/m1/134/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.