El Camino Real education workshops to be held in Texas, Louisiana

Map of El Camino Real de los Tejas is courtesy of the National Park Service.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stone Fort Museum at Stephen F. Austin State University will offer two June workshops exploring the cultural history of El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail.

The workshops will be held June 7-8 in Natchitoches, La., and June 14-15 in Victoria.
The chosen locations will provide opportunities for participants to learn from trail historians, walk a portion of the trace and share ideas with fellow educators.

The workshops are the continuation of more than a decade of involvement by the Stone Fort Museum in educational programming and interpretation of the Camino Real. El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail was added to the National Trails System in 2004. It crosses Texas into northwest Louisiana and is the historic trail linking Mexico City with the Spanish Colonial capitol at Los Adaes near Robeline, La.

The June workshops will provide participants with the knowledge and know-how to educate others on the trail and the development of this national resource. Faculty, staff and researchers from across the region will provide instruction on the history of the trail's development, the historic landscape and research methods currently in use to document trail resources.

Participants will take a field trip and tour a remnant of the trace and historic sites associated with the trail. The resource manual and take-home materials include speakers' notes, two DVD presentations on the history of the trail, prepared lesson plans, images and an oversized presentation map of the trail. Educators will earn 12 hours of Continuing Professional Education credits as part of the course.

Registration for each workshop is $60 per person and includes all sessions, a workshop manual and resources, a field trip, and four meals. Space in each workshop is limited to 30 participants. The registration deadline is Friday, May 25. To register or learn more, visit www.sfasu.edu/stonefort or contact museum director Carolyn Spears at (936) 468-2408.

El Camino Real de los Tejas Education Workshops are made possible by Challenge Cost Share funds through the National Trails Intermountain Region Office of the National Park Service. Additional support comes from the Cane River National Heritage Area in Louisiana and Victoria Preservation in Texas.