Location Nacogdoches, Texas | ||
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Founder Texas Historical Commission Focus Tourism, Economic Development and Historical Preservation Website www.texasforeststrail.com | ||
The Texas Forrest Trail is a non-profit organization which promotes heritage tourism, economic development, and historic preservation. It is one of ten driving trail regions which make up the award-winning Heritage Trails Program of the Texas Historical Commission.
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History
In 1968 Texas hosted the World's fair, known as HemisFair '68, in San Antonio, Texas. In connection with this boost in international attention, the Texas Department of Transportation designated ten 650-mile circular driving regions that encompassed the entire state of Texas. These trails saw little attention after their creation until in the late 1990s when the Texas Historical Commission adopted these trails as their Heritage Trail Program. The Texas Forts Trail was the first of the ten trails to be reinstated.
The 35-county Forest Trail Region historically is known for people such as the Caddo Indians and Spanish explorer Alonso de Leon. The region has been called the gateway to Texas, with borders with Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The region is named for the four national and five state forests located in this region.