As I have not received a review copy of Gary Pinkerton's new book, Trammel's Trace, the information presented here is from the back cover of the book.
"Trammel’s
Trace tells the story of a borderland smuggler and an important passageway into
early Texas. Trammel’s Trace, named for Nicholas Trammell, was the first route
from the United States into the northern boundaries of Spanish Texas. From the
Great Bend of the Red River it intersected with El Camino Real de los Tejas in
Nacogdoches. By the early nineteenth century, Trammel’s Trace was largely a
smuggler’s trail that delivered horses and contraband into the region. It was a
microcosm of the migration, lawlessness, and conflict that defined the period.
By the 1820s, as Mexico gained independence from Spain, smuggling declined as
Anglo immigration became the primary use of the trail. Familiar names such as
Sam Houston, David Crockett, and James Bowie joined throngs of immigrants
making passage along Trammel’s Trace.
Indeed, Nicholas Trammell opened trading
posts on the Red River and near Nacogdoches, hoping to claim a piece of
Austin’s new colony. Austin denied Trammell’s entry, however, fearing his poor reputation
would usher in a new wave of smuggling and lawlessness. By 1826, Trammell was
pushed out of Texas altogether and retreated back to Arkansas. Even so, as
author Gary L. Pinkerton concludes, Trammell was “more opportunist than outlaw
and made the most of disorder.” GARY L. PINKERTON, the author of numerous
articles on East Texas history, resides in Houston. Red River Valley Books,
sponsored by Texas A&M University - Texarkana $35.00 cloth. 320 pp. 11
b&w photos. 10 maps. Bib. Index. Also available in ebook edition. Trammel's Trace is now available on Amazon."
