Thursday, November 11, 2021 - 11:08am
Spanning the centuries and the breadth of Texas from the Rio Grande to the Sabine River, a “royal road” connects the present to the past. El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail was designated as part of the National Trails System by the U.S. Congress in 2004, but its story started far earlier, as a series of routes laid...
Tuesday, June 16, 2020 - 9:29am
By Rachel Galan, Assistant Site Manager, Caddo Mounds State Historic Site
It is a comfort in uncertain times to know that some things are certain. Recognizing ideas and beliefs that are universal creates unity among communities, easing feelings of isolation and fear. All the wild, beautiful, and sometimes unruly plants growing around us offer comfort through universal themes...
Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - 8:52am
By Rachel Galan, Assistant Site Manager, Caddo Mounds State Historic Site
In this time, when we are asked to draw in and make our worlds smaller, when groceries are sometimes hard to come by, and we are trying to minimize our trips to public places, I’ve noticed people’s focus and interest return to foraging for wild food and medicine, gardening, and other homesteading...
Thursday, May 26, 2016 - 8:00am
By Rachel Galan, Caddo Mounds Site Educator and Interpreter
We are moving forward with big dreams at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. With the location and identification of the natural resources required to build the new Caddo grass house at the site (e.g. switchgrass, pine and willow poles, and a large central cedar post) and the first efforts to gather these materials, the...
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - 8:00am
By Caddo Mounds Site Manager Anthony Souther and Educator/Interpreter Rachel Galan
“The Caddo Mounds State Historic Site has always held a certain degree of mystery and magic, but for me the site is also nostalgic. Just driving by the site on Highway 21 reminds me of the days from my childhood when my family would visit the Mounds. There’s just one thing missing. The iconic grass house...
Thursday, September 10, 2015 - 8:00am
By Rachel Galan, Caddo Mounds Educator/Interpreter
"Think of a really great conversation that you've had. One that left you feeling fulfilled like a really great meal." That was one of the first things asked of participants during our first Caddo Mounds Teachers Workshop. When asked about the attributes of these great conversations, our group of educators responded:
relevance...
Wednesday, June 24, 2015 - 8:00am
By Rachel Galan, Caddo Mounds educator/interpreter
This past spring brought the return of Caddo Culture Day to Caddo Mounds State Historic Site following a two-year hiatus due to museum renovation and remodeling. This year, I had the privilege of shifting from a long-time visitor to site staff and part of the team who facilitated the program.
Caddo Culture Day...
Thursday, September 18, 2014 - 8:00am
By Rachel Galan, Caddo Mounds Educator/Interpreter
“The camino real, or more aptly the caminos reales, is more than a route, more than a series of parajes between two end points. It is a complex set of relationships between travelers and nature, buyers and sellers, governors and governed.”
–Jesus F. de la Teja, 1991
I've made a daily ritual of leaving my desk...
Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - 8:00am
By Rachel Galan, Caddo Mounds Educator/Interpreter
It is a fairly safe bet that following a rainstorm there will be a new treasure of blooms at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. Earlier this week, I stumbled across a sunny patch of copper lilies (pictured at right). These beauties cropped up in close proximity to a 1920s-era barn near our main road segment of El Camino Real de los...
Friday, May 24, 2013 - 11:33am
By Anthony C. Souther, Caddo Mounds Site Manager
It is my day off, and as I sit at my dining room table looking out my back door, it’s a beautiful Texas day at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. Although it has turned cold again (I’m told this is unusual for Texas at this time of year) it has not spoiled the day.
I look down the gently sloping ridge to the man-made reservoir, and...
