Pedro Vial, Trailblazer Extraordinary
by Robin Montgomery
In our area a spirit of adventure dwells, the stuff of which big events are made. This spirit of adventure is heir
to the many courageous pioneers who came our way, some seeking a place in which to settle and others on a mission to simply explore the land. A stirring example of the latter is Pedro Vial, adventurer and explorer
extraordinary.
A Frenchman by birth, Vial entered Texas when it was under Spanish rule, making his way to San Antonio in 1784. The Spanish Governor of Texas, recognizing Pedro Vial’s expertise in dealing with Native Americans, commissioned him to seek a treaty with the ”masters of the plains”, the Comanches. The next year, the peripatetic Vial accomplished the task, escorting leaders of the tribe to San Antonio to make an agreement which lasted, basically, until Texas ceased to be under Spanish rule in 1821.
With this major accomplishment under his belt, Vial received a new assignment, to cut a trail to Santa Fe, New Mexico, a feat he accomplished in 1787. Along the way, he noted the distance he traveled, the tribes he encountered and the size of their encampments.
Resting in Santa Fe for a while, Vial then set out to blaze a trail far to the east, to the Red River outpost of
Natchitoches (Nak e tosh). From there he returned to San Antonio, the trip which brought him through the area which became Montgomery County in 1837.
Safely in San Antonio, his trip was yet unfinished, for he quickly set a course back to Santa Fe. Once there, he could reflect on a round trip of over 2000 miles in just fourteen months. But was Pedro Vial at that point satisfied? Not a chance! Just a few years later, in 1792, he embarked on a path-finding trip to St. Louis, marking the beginning of the storied“Santa Fe Trail.”
Pedro Vial, one of the giants of history who have embellished the saga of our area.
In our area a spirit of adventure dwells, the stuff of which big events are made. This spirit of adventure is heir
to the many courageous pioneers who came our way, some seeking a place in which to settle and others on a mission to simply explore the land. A stirring example of the latter is Pedro Vial, adventurer and explorer
extraordinary.
A Frenchman by birth, Vial entered Texas when it was under Spanish rule, making his way to San Antonio in 1784. The Spanish Governor of Texas, recognizing Pedro Vial’s expertise in dealing with Native Americans, commissioned him to seek a treaty with the ”masters of the plains”, the Comanches. The next year, the peripatetic Vial accomplished the task, escorting leaders of the tribe to San Antonio to make an agreement which lasted, basically, until Texas ceased to be under Spanish rule in 1821.
With this major accomplishment under his belt, Vial received a new assignment, to cut a trail to Santa Fe, New Mexico, a feat he accomplished in 1787. Along the way, he noted the distance he traveled, the tribes he encountered and the size of their encampments.
Resting in Santa Fe for a while, Vial then set out to blaze a trail far to the east, to the Red River outpost of
Natchitoches (Nak e tosh). From there he returned to San Antonio, the trip which brought him through the area which became Montgomery County in 1837.
Safely in San Antonio, his trip was yet unfinished, for he quickly set a course back to Santa Fe. Once there, he could reflect on a round trip of over 2000 miles in just fourteen months. But was Pedro Vial at that point satisfied? Not a chance! Just a few years later, in 1792, he embarked on a path-finding trip to St. Louis, marking the beginning of the storied“Santa Fe Trail.”
Pedro Vial, one of the giants of history who have embellished the saga of our area.