| It
is a story that has been told and retold in Texas
and Louisiana--one that almost every school child has learned in the classroom.
Twin sons were born to an old Caddo Indian chief living on the banks of
the Sabine River. Natchitoches was swarthy with black hair and flashing black
eyes. Nacogdoches was fair with yellow hair and blue eyes.
As their father
neared the end of his days, he called his sons into his presence to receive his
final blessings.
He
commanded that, upon his death, Natchitoches should gather his wife and children,
turn his face to the rising sun, and after traveling three days he should build
his home and rear a tribe.
Nacogdoches was instructed to face the setting
sun, walk three days with his family, and establish a new home where he, too,
would rear his children and his children’s children. Thus,
the twin tribes of Nacogdoches and Natchitoches were born 100 miles apart--one
in what would become Texas and one in the place we
know today as Louisiana.
The two tribes were located a sufficient distance
apart to prevent friction over their hunting grounds, so they remained on friendly
terms as the decades passed.
The friendship and trade beat out a well-traveled
path between the two tribes, a route that eventually became a highway known as
El Camino Real by Spanish travelers.
The story is such an engaging tale that it has been printed, reprinted, told and
retold in so many places that most of us have lost count. But the trouble is,
the story isn’t true.
It was apparently concocted in 1939 by historian
R.B. Blake of Nacogdoches
as part of a booklet produced by the Nacogdoches Historical Society.
There
were, however, Indian tribes known as Nacogdoches and Natchitoches. And, yes,
there are towns by the same name. And, of course, there is an El
Camino Real.
While Nacogdoches
has adhered to Blake’s original story, Natchitoches uses a different twist. In
its version, as reported by the Chamber of Commerce, the Indian chief banished
his twin sons to the east and west.
The Chamber manager said the legend
is so ingrained in Natchitoches’ history that “folks around here would run me
out of town if I said it wasn’t true.”
Regardless of the story’s veracity,
it will remain a beloved part of the fabric of East
Texas.
©
Bob Bowman
July 10, 2006 Column, updated April 22, 2012
(Bob
Bowman of Lufkin is the author
of more than 50 books about East Texas history and folklore. He can be reached
at bob-bowman.com)
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