Neighbors Expedition facts for kids

The Neighbors Expedition was an important journey led by Robert Neighbors. Its main goal was to find a good road between San Antonio and El Paso in Texas. This new road would help settlers and stagecoaches travel west more easily. Other important trips were led by Colonel John C. Hays in 1848 and Lieutenants William Henry Chase Whiting and William F. Smith in 1849.

Out of all these trips, the one led by Robert Neighbors found the best route. This route was later used by stagecoaches and most travelers. Even today, the highway from Austin to El Paso follows almost the exact path Neighbors mapped out.

Who Was Robert Neighbors?

Robert Neighbors was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Texas from 1839 to 1844. In 1842, he was captured by a Mexican general named Adrián Woll during an invasion of San Antonio. Neighbors was taken to Mexico and held prisoner with many other Texas officials. He was finally set free in 1844 after talks between Texas, the United States, and Mexico.

After his release, Neighbors became an Indian agent for Texas. This meant he helped manage agreements between the government and Native American tribes like the Lipan Apache, Tonkawa, and Comanche Indians.

Neighbors was known for his "field system" of working with Native Americans. He was one of the few white men who knew the Comancheria, which was the homeland of the Comanche people. More importantly, he could travel there safely. He spoke their language, understood their culture, and was respected by their chiefs, including the powerful Buffalo Hump.

The Journey to El Paso

Because Robert Neighbors was a skilled scout and respected by the Comanche, Major General William J. Worth chose him to lead an expedition. General Worth was the commander of the United States Army in Texas. Neighbors' mission was to find a road to El Paso that both settlers and wagons carrying goods could use.

Neighbors led a group that included soldiers and Texas Rangers. His friend John Salmon Ford was also part of the team. The group started in San Antonio, passed through Austin, and finished getting ready near what is now Waco. Besides Rip Ford, Neighbors chose three other white men: D. C. Sullivan, A. D. Neal, and James Shaw. Shaw was a famous scout and interpreter who was part-Delaware. He was known for being able to talk to and work with Native Americans.

Neighbors also picked four Native American guides who were not from the Plains tribes. They were John Harry (Delaware), Joe Ellis and Tom Coshatee (Shawnees), and Patrick Goin (Choctaw). Neighbors put James Shaw in charge of these guides.

Traveling with the Comanche

Neighbors was able to convince Buffalo Hump, a Comanche chief, to guide the expedition through the Comancheria. Even though Buffalo Hump later left the group, the expedition remained safe under his protection. Another Comanche chief named Guadalupe then guided the group the rest of the way from the Colorado River to El Paso. Neighbors' ability to talk with the Comanche and his good relationship with them made this journey possible.

The expedition left the Torrey Trading House on March 23, 1849. They first traveled northeast to visit the camp of Comanche chief Old Owl, where they stayed for a week. Then, they crossed the Leon River and went south to Sanaco's camp on the upper Colorado River, arriving on April 2, 1849.

At this point, Buffalo Hump left the group. Neighbors then hired Guadalupe, another Comanche chief, to guide them to El Paso. The expedition left the Colorado River on April 5, 1849. They managed to cross the Pecos River at a difficult spot called Horsehead Crossing on April 17, 1849. Even with bad weather and tough land, they crossed the far northern part of the Davis Mountains. This area is north of where the University of Texas McDonald Observatory is today.

They crossed the Rio Grande on April 25, 1849. There, they found tracks from horses with shoes, which they realized were from Whiting's expedition returning to Austin.

The Neighbors expedition continued along the east bank of the Rio Grande towards El Paso. They arrived there on May 2, 1849. Neighbors decided that the last hundred miles they had traveled were not good for a wagon road. So, he decided to return by a different, more northern route that the Mexican army had used between El Paso and the Pecos River. The expedition started its return journey on May 6, 1849. They traveled through Hueco Tanks, Ojo del Alamo, and the Guadalupe Mountains on their way back home to the Pecos River.

Finding the Best Way Home

On the way back, a Mexican man named Señor Zambrano guided the expedition. Neighbors discovered that this return route from El Paso to the Pecos River would be perfect for wagons and stagecoaches. And it was! The expedition reached Fredericksburg, Texas, on May 31 and San Antonio on June 2. This was only eight days after Whiting's group, which had left much earlier but hadn't found a good road to El Paso.

Neighbors' first trip to El Paso took 23 days of actual travel. But he was able to return to San Antonio in just 21 days using a much easier path. Neighbors reported his findings to General William Selby Harney, who had taken over from General Worth. He suggested the return route as the trail the Army was looking for. General Harney then sent other groups to check Neighbors' recommended route. They agreed with his findings, and this path became known as the Upper or Northern route.

Modern Roads Follow the Same Path

Not only settlers, but also the Butterfield Overland Mail service later used this route from the Concho River to El Paso. Today, modern highways and railroads follow roughly the same paths that Neighbors took on his way out and back. Neighbors and Ford reported the distance from Austin to El Paso as 598 miles. This is the same distance shown on modern road maps!