Spanish Missions Founded in 1716 Gave Nacogdoches Its Start

In 1716, the Spanish sent Domingo Ramón into East Texas to establish missions and counter French expansion from Louisiana. His expedition founded Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches mission on the site of what is now the city of Nacogdoches. A second mission, San José de los Nazonis, was placed in the northwestern part of the present county.

The missions were abandoned in 1719 after a French raid, then re-established in 1721. When Spain took over Louisiana in 1763, the need for a defensive buffer in East Texas ended. The missions were closed in 1773 and the settlers ordered south. But settlers returned in 1779 under Antonio Gil Ibarvo, planting a permanent civil community on the old mission site. The Handbook of Texas has detailed sourced entries on each mission.