"Trammel's Trace - an Indian trail used by the first white settlers as their main overland route to the north, crosses US highway 79 at 37.8 miles southwest of Shreveport, Louisiana, near Carthage, Texas" ........from TEXAS, A GUIDE TO THE LONE STAR STATE, published by the Texas State Highway Commission in 1940."So, Jefferson was established in 1836 on land donated by Allen Urquhart. It was on Trammel's Trace over which Sam Houston and, later, David Crockett entered Texas." .......from JEFFERSON, TEXAS, QUEEN OF THE CYPRESS, written by Winnie Mims Dean in 1953.In her book CADDO LAKE, MYSTERIOUS SWAMPLAND, Mildred McClung describes Trammel's Trace as running from the Red River on the north, through Daingerfield, skirting Jefferson and Marshall, across the Sabine River and on to the Gulf on the south. She further states that the trail was cut by Gasper Trammel who was a transportation leader. He operated the road with six and eight mule teams as well as ox drawn wagons.The 1947-1948 TEXAS ALMANAC has a map (on pg 289) showing the historic travel routes of the southwest which passed through Texas. It was drawn from date furnished by T.C. Richardson of Dallas and shows Trammel's Trace in the included maps.The drawing may be described as respects Trammel's Trace this way: Trammel's Trace entered the State of Texas in the northeast corner near what is now Texarkana. It ran southwest across what we now call Bowie County and down the western side of Cass County.Near Hughes Springs the Trace joined the Jonesboro-Nacogdoches Road in a "Y" then they proceeded together to Jefferson and Marshall. Just south to the southwest of Marshall the two roads forked with the Jonesboro-Nacogdoches Road continuing to Nacogdoches and Trammel's Trace proceeding southeast to Teneha and Gaines Ferry on the Sabine River where it intersected the El Camino Real or Old San Antonio Road.

Despite the differing opinions as to exactly where the Trace was located, we do know the consensus of opinion places it in Cass County as it wandered through the extreme northeast corner of Texas. It was probably an Indian trail long before 1800 and was simply improved and expanded by early, enterprising settlers in this area.