Upper Coushatta Trace
The Upper Coushatta Trace was an alternate, wet-weather route of the Coushatta Trace.
It branched off the latter in what is now eastern Grimes County and ran
northward, while the main Coushatta Trace continued eastward en route
to a Coushatta village on the east bank of the Sabine River. The Upper
Coushatta Trace was used by a substantial number of Stephen F. Austin's
colonists entering the future Grimes County to locate homesteads. After
passing near the sites of Anderson, Shiro, and Roans Prairie, it turned
eastward into what is now Walker County and proceeded across higher
ground north of the headwaters of the San Jacinto River. It next passed
through the southern part of the future Walker County and rejoined the
principal trace at the Battise Village
on the west bank of the Trinity River, at a site now in San Jacinto
County. Surveyors' field notes for some of the land surveys in this area
refer to this trail as the contraband or smugglers' road. The principal
Coushatta Trace went across Montgomery County and provided the most
direct route from Austin's colony on the Brazos River to the Battise
Village. The disadvantage of this route, however, was that it went
across the drainage basin of the San Jacinto River, which was difficult
to traverse in wet weather. W. P. Zuber, a veteran of the battle of San Jacinto, wrote that his family lived near the Upper Coushatta Trace and used it in the Runaway Scrape in 1836. TSHA
Texas State Historical Association
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/upper-coushatta-trace
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/coushatta-trace
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/coushatta-nacogdoches-trace
The Historical Marker Database
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=118974
Stephen F. Austin State University
https://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/8624.asp
The Alamo
https://www.thealamo.org/remember/battle-and-revolution/defenders/jonathan-lindley
TSLAC
https://duckduckgo.com/?hps=1&q=Upper+Coushatta+Trace+texas+walker+county&atb=v335-1&ia=web
angelfire.com
https://www.angelfire.com/tx/TCGS/trace1.html
The Upper Coushatta Trace, while not a specific settlement itself,
refers to a historical alternate route (wet-weather variant) of the
main Coushatta Trace, an early trail used by Native Americans,
smugglers, and settlers. The route passed through southern Walker
County, Texas, aligning closely with rural areas near the Montgomery
County line and potentially associated with early homesteads or
dispersed communities in that region. It is not listed as a named
settlement among known rural communities in Walker County, such as
Bath, Boswell, Crabbs Prairie, Goshen, Gourd Creek, Hawthorne, Loma,
Moores Grove, Mossy Grove, Oak Grove, Pine Hill, Pine Prairie, Pine
Valley, Round Prairie, San Jacinto, Shepard's Valley, Sion, St. Olive,
Star, or Tuscaloosa.
The area traversed by the Upper Coushatta Trace in Walker County
features rural, wooded landscapes with rolling terrain, sandy-loam
soils, and proximity to the Sam Houston National Forest to the east and
the headwaters of the San Jacinto River. The route entered from eastern
Grimes County, proceeded eastward across higher ground in southern
Walker County (avoiding flood-prone areas of the main trace), and
continued to rejoin the principal Coushatta Trace at Battise Village in
present-day San Jacinto County. Elevation is around 300-400 feet, with
a humid subtropical climate of hot summers and mild winters. It remains
unincorporated and dispersed, with no formal post office or major
infrastructure, though utilities like electricity are available along
nearby roads such as Farm to Market Road 1791 or U.S. Highway 190.
Students in the area attend Huntsville ISD or nearby districts.
Historically, the Upper Coushatta Trace branched off the main Coushatta
Trace (a footpath from Louisiana used by Coushatta Indians for hunting
and trading since the late 1700s) in eastern Grimes County as a drier
alternative during wet weather, avoiding the San Jacinto River
drainage. It was used by Stephen F. Austin's colonists in the
1820s-1830s to access homesteads, and by families during the Runaway
Scrape in 1836. Surveyors' notes often called it the "contraband" or
"smugglers' road" due to its use for illicit trade. In Walker County,
it passed through the southern portion without documented permanent
settlements, though it facilitated early land grants and migration. The
main Coushatta Trace, which merged with other roads like the Atascosito
Road, crossed the southeastern corner of Walker County en route to
crossings of the Trinity River. No specific population or businesses
are recorded for the trace in Walker County, but it declined after
railroads arrived in the 1870s, with only segments surviving as modern
roads.
No dedicated cemetery associated with the Upper Coushatta Trace exists
in Walker County. Nearby sites in southern Walker County include Brushy
Cemetery (small, undocumented memorials) and Lee Cemetery (about 92
interments from the 19th century, with early settler graves).
Comprehensive county lists confirm these but note no trace-specific
burial ground; interments may have occurred at nearby Huntsville sites
like Oakwood Cemetery or those in adjacent Montgomery County, such as
Lake Creek Cemetery tied to settlements along the main trace.
The Upper Coushatta Trace in Walker County should not be confused with
the main Coushatta Trace (which extends through multiple counties) or
unrelated sites like the Coushatti Trace DAR chapter. No recent social
media or news events specific to the Upper Coushatta Trace were
identified, beyond general historical discussions or regional weather
alerts for southern Walker County, such as severe thunderstorms or
flooding along nearby rivers.
Battise Village
Battise Village, also known by variations such as Baptiste Village or
Battiste Village, was a significant historical settlement established
by the Coushatta (Koasati) Indians in the early 19th century. It served
as one of three principal Coushatta communities along the Trinity River
in what is now the region encompassing San Jacinto and Polk counties in
East Texas. The village was part of the broader migration and
settlement patterns of the Alabama and Coushatta tribes, who are
Muskhogean-speaking peoples originally from the southeastern United
States and members of the Upper Creek Confederacy. These groups began
migrating westward in the late 1700s due to pressures from European
colonization, diseases, and conflicts, eventually crossing into Spanish
Texas around the 1780s. The Spanish encouraged their settlement to act
as a buffer against French and American influences, granting them lands
in southeast Texas, including the resource-rich Big Thicket area
suitable for hunting, fishing, and agriculture.
Location and Geographical Details
Battise Village was positioned as the "upper" or northernmost of the
three main Coushatta villages on the Trinity River. It was situated on
the west bank of the Trinity River in San Jacinto County, directly
opposite the mouth of Kickapoo Creek and near the present-day area of
Point Blank. Some sources place it in western Polk County near the
modern site of Onalaska, reflecting the fluid boundaries of the era,
but it extended into what became San Jacinto County. The village was a
key point along the Coushatta Trace, a historic trail that crossed the
Trinity River at this location. This trace was a narrow footpath and
road extending from Coushatta villages in Louisiana southwest through
Texas to La Bahía (modern Goliad), serving as a trade and travel route
for Native Americans, Spanish colonists, and later figures like Sam
Houston during the Texas Revolution. The trace passed through areas
including present-day Newton, Jasper, Tyler, Polk, San Jacinto, and
Walker counties, connecting to other villages like Cane Island and
Peach Tree. The village's location was documented in surveyors'
field notes for original land grants, including those for James H.
Duncan and Isham T. Patrick, and it even influenced boundary
definitions for Liberty County during the Republic of Texas period
(encompassing modern Polk and San Jacinto counties). By the 1830s, the
three Coushatta villages—Battise (upper), Long King’s (middle), and
Colita’s (lower)—had a combined population of around 600, with
residents living in cabins, cultivating crops like corn, beans, and
sweet potatoes, raising livestock, and hunting in the surrounding
woodlands.
Historical Significance and Key Events
The Coushatta, including those at Battise Village, navigated complex
relationships with European powers, accepting gifts and alliances from
Spanish, British, French, and American entities while maintaining
autonomous villages linked by language, clan, and marriage. During the
Mexican period (1824–1835), they retained land allowances, and in 1835,
Mexican authorities ordered white settlers off Coushatta lands to
secure their loyalty. The tribe supported Texans in the 1836 Texas
Revolution, aiding settlers during the Runaway Scrape by ferrying them
across the Trinity and providing supplies at Long King’s Village; they
also served as scouts for Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto.
In 1835, a treaty promised land rights between the Angelina, Neches,
and Sabine Rivers, but it was not ratified after Texas independence,
leading to ongoing tensions. In 1840, the Republic of Texas
Congress granted two leagues of land (about 900 square miles) as
permanent reservations for the Coushatta: one for Colita’s Village and
one for Battise Village. Surveys were conducted and field notes filed,
but these grants were ineffective due to prior claims by white
settlers. By the late 1830s, ferry services like Duncan's Ferry (later
Patrick's Ferry) operated at the Coushatta Trace crossing near the
village, lasting until the early 20th century. George T. Wood, Texas's
second governor, established a plantation near Battise Village in 1839.
Population estimates from 1850 by explorer William Bollaert suggest
around 500 warriors across Battise and Colita’s villages combined.
However, increasing white settlement, conflicts, and epidemics led to a
decline in the 1840s, with residents gradually relocating to other
Coushatta sites like Long King’s or Colita’s villages, or back to
Louisiana. By 1856, a General Land Office map of Polk County no longer
showed the village. Ben-Ash was the chief of Battise Village during the
early 19th century. He played a role in tribal affairs during the
Republic of Texas era.
In 1844, Republic of Texas President Sam Houston issued a passport to
Ben-Ash's widow, highlighting the village's diplomatic ties. Nearby
villages were led by figures like Long King (principal chief of the
middle village until around 1838), Colita (who succeeded Long King and
led the lower village until his death in 1852), Tempe (successor to
Long King in the middle village), and Long Tom (who followed Tempe).
After the Coushatta integrated with the Alabama tribe on a shared
reservation in Polk County by 1859, leadership transitioned to unified
chiefs like John Scott (1871–1913), Bronson Cooper Sylestine
(1936–1969), and Kina Robert Fulton Battise (1970–1994).
Current Status and Modern References
Battise Village no longer exists as a populated settlement; its site is
now submerged under Lake Livingston, a reservoir created in the late
1960s that flooded much of the historical Trinity River valley in San
Jacinto and Polk counties. There are no indications of a modern
community or active site by that name.
Historical markers and references to Coushatta sites exist in the
region, such as one for a Coushatta village and burial ground on Farm
Road 233 near Goodrich in Polk County (about three miles southeast),
but this is not explicitly tied to Battise Village.
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, federally recognized and based on
a reservation in Polk County (established in 1854 and expanded in
1928), preserves the cultural legacy of these historical villages
through oral histories, community programs, and tribal governance.
Modern discussions often focus on the tribe's adaptation to
contemporary life while maintaining traditions, as noted by tribal
leaders like Herbert Johnson in historical accounts.
For further exploration, resources like the Texas State Historical
Association's handbook or the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe's website provide
detailed archival information.
