The Guadalupe River Drive in the Texas Hill Country, now
approaching its 100th anniversary, began as a small path
carved from the rocky hillside. Today called River Road,
this popular tourist destination is enjoyed by both residents
of and visitors to New Braunfels.
In Hill Country Backroads: Showing the Way in Comal
County, Laurie E. Jasinski explores the time when roads
such as the Guadalupe River Drive were unknown and unexplored.
A time when it was nearly impossible to reach your destination
without having to change a few tires or find a team of mules
to pull you out of the mud. A time when a journey was an
adventure.
Jasinski spent nearly a decade researching the early history
of motoring and tourism in the area. Hill Country
Backroads combines the setting of the Hill Country in the
early 1900s with a historical narrative of Joe Sanders,
Jasinki's grandfather, who was central to making the
countryside of Comal County accessible to visitors and
residents. Sanders improved travel in the area by creating
the first scenic map of Comal County and implementing a system
of road signs to label the county's confusing byways. Sanders'
passion for travel and his attempt to show others how to enjoy
life are driving forces throughout the book.
Sanders' scenic maps of the area are reproduced along with
original photographs of the characters, landscape, and
automobiles of the period. Interviews with people who knew
Sanders provide fascinating insight into this man and his
contributions to Hill Country tourism.
Hill Country Backroads combines two distinct but
interwoven elements: the setting of the Hill Country in the
early 1900s and the life of Joe Sanders. This rich
compilation of historical events and human interaction is
irresistible.
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LAURIE E. JASINSKI, a native of New Braunfels and now a
resident of San Marcos, is a contributor to The New Handbook
of Texas (1996) and has written features for Texas Highways,
Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Texas Gardener. She has also
contributed historical articles to The Journal of South Texas.
