"Tejas" Letterbox

Alto, Texas Houston County East Texas Pineywoods Region
Mission Tejas State Historic Park

Date of Placement: 1/30/03
Difficulty: Easy
Total Distance to letterbox: About 75 yards
Placed by Baby Bear

Texas History Letterbox Series

The "Tejas" letterbox is located in Mission Tejas State Historical
Park. This marks the location of the first Spanish mission in East
Texas, Mission San Francisco de los Tejas. Tejas was the name given
to the local Indians, which means friends, and eventually the area
was called "Land of the Tejas". This was eventually shortened
to "Tejas", which was changed by the Anglos to Texas. The 118 acre
park is set in the East Texas Pineywoods. It has two historic
structures to tour, camping, and hiking.


Directions:

Located 12 miles southwest of Alto, on highway 21, near Weches, Texas

To the letterbox:

Enter the park and obtain a map at the entry station, then drive to
the "Commemorative Mission". Get out and take a look (and also find
Silver Eagle's box). From here, drive to the pond, which is at the
end of the road past the playground. Park at the picnic area near
the pond's spillway. Find the #34 post near the pond. From here, go
left (North) over the spillway on the nature trail. Eventually you
will turn East, following the pond bank. At this turn is a bench.