EL ATASCOSO, TEXAS. El Atascoso was an early Spanish settlement (see SPANISH TEXAS) on what is now State Highway 21 some eight miles east of Nacogdoches in eastern Nacogdoches County. The Rancho Atascoso, as it was sometimes known, was established by José Mora in 1778 after the Spanish withdrawal of 1772–73 and was located where El Camino Real crossed Atascoso Creek. The section of El Camino Real between Atascoso and Puenta Suelas creeks was the site of numerous such camps; others settled nearby, joining Mora for protection from the Indian inhabitants of the area. A Texas Historical Commission marker was established at the site in the 1970s.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Marker Files, Texas Historical Commission, Austin.
