The zero milestone of San Agustín: an old Spanish path not so Spanish

One of the things I love about St. Augustine is the endless variety of historic sites and places of interest. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of interesting bits of history that tourists pass by every day. Only some make an effort to learn about the things they see. Others simply create a set of facts that sound like they know what they’re talking about. I enjoy talking to tourists about some of these historical landmarks and hearing their theories about the things they are seeing.

The Zero Milestone Marker is one of the most misunderstood landmarks in St. Augustine. The marker is a six foot diameter ball of coquina stone with a bronze plate attached. Only the year “1928” that is inscribed on the plaque prevents the visitor from including the stone with the historic tradition of St. Augustine from the 19th or 18th century. The plaque simply states that the monument marks the beginning of the Old Spanish Trail between St. Augustine and San Diego, California.

Many tourists conjure up a vision of Spanish missionaries and soldiers making their way from this marker across the United States to San Diego. The fact that the marker is dated 1928 does little to change your speculations. However, the facts are that the Old Spanish Trail did not originate in Spanish St. Augustine but in Mobile, Alabama. The city of Mobile developed as a French, not Spanish, colony at Fort Louise de la Mobile.

In 1915, two north-south highways were planned: Dixie and Jackson. Both highways would develop tourist traffic from the north to Florida and New Orleans. Jackson’s highway was planned to cross Mississippi instead of Alabama on its route to New Orleans. As a result, the Rotary Club of Mobile Alabama launched an effort to lobby for the route to go through Alabama instead of Mississippi based on some statistics showing that although the Alabama route was longer, more people would benefit. Unsuccessful in their lobbying attempt, the urgency of building an east-west route through Mobile became more important than ever. As a result, a plan was conceived to create an east-west highway that would link Mobile with New Orleans and Jacksonville, and thus connect with the two north-south highways.

The effort by the Mobile Rotarians gained momentum and its goal was announced in 1915. Palmer Pillans, President of the Rotary Club, touted it as a highway that would connect Florida cities with Mobile and the California coast.

To enhance and romanticize the path, it was called the Old Spanish Trail. While it is true that the road would connect many Spanish-initiated settlements, the purpose was what we would today call hype.

In any event, the effort gained momentum only to be stalled by World War I and some serious logistical problems created by natural barriers. By 1918, the project was literally dead in the water. In 1919, the Old Spanish Trial was given new life when product leadership moved to Texas. New leadership was elected. Harral B. Ayers became the General Director of the Old Spanish Trail Association. Beginning with the Texas routes, he worked hard and provided the leadership and political influence necessary to see the project through in 1929.

To celebrate the completion, the Old Spanish Trail Association threw a huge party in St. Augustine where the zero mile marker was dedicated. At the conclusion of the event, a caravan departed for a trip to San Diego. There were some who made it to the end and some who didn’t. However, the road continued to be hyped with all the hype its coincidental Spanish connection could muster well into the 1960s.