Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz Orcoquisac
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Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz Orcoquisac (1756-1772) - A Spanish Mission established in 1756 along the Trinity River near present day Wallisville, Chambers County, Texas. The Mission was abandoned by the Spanish government in 1772. The Spanish Period (1500s-1821)Established in late May or June 1756 along with the adjacent Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada. The presidio was established to protect the mission and to counter any threat from the French in Louisiana. Conflicts between the presidio soldiers and the officers and between officers themselves created a series of problems that included desertions, several officers relieved of command and troops being sent to the presidio to restore order. Two friars were sent to convert and minister to members of the local Orcoquisac tribe but their efforts were ineffective in the face of all the turmoil. The elder friar died and the younger one asked to be relieved of his duties. He complained of biting insects, bad water and extremes of heat and cold. To add to the problems, a hurricane destroyed much of the mission and presidio on 4 Sep 1766. The presidio was moved to east and rebuilt but the mission was rebuilt on the original site. The transfer of Louisiana to Spain in 1763 removed the French threat and made the presidio unnecessary. By 1771 most of the troops were gone and both the presidio and the mission were abandoned in 1772 amid fears of Apache attacks. Current StatusMarker only along eastbound side of IH-10 in front of the U.S. Post Office.
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