Santa Fe Park

Santa Fe Park and the Walking Trail project have been an ongoing mission of hard work and dedication led by two local citizens, Don Baum and Jerry Payne.

Santa Fe Park is located on west Columbia, behind the city owned tourism and civic center, the Log Cabin on the Bayou. The Log Cabin houses both the San Augustine Civic and Tourism Center and the San Augustine County Chamber of Commerce.

The raised walkway off the back porch of the Log Cabin leads to the Champion Pavilion, then through Santa Fe Park to the Caboose, ending at the trailhead for the nature trail that connects to Mission Dolores.

About the Bridge:
In the early 1920’s, the Texas Highway Department (TxDOT) installed five single span simple truss steel bridges in San Augstine County on State Highway 21. One bridge passed over Palo Gaucho Bayou east of San Augustine near the Sabine and San Augustine County lines. One bridge was over Carrizo Creek on the east side of San Augustine at the present day city limits, two bridges were at Venado Creek, west of San Augustine near McRae Church, and one over Niciper Creek, approximately eight miles west of San Augustine.

The Niciper Creek bridge was on an abandoned part of SH 21 and had fallen into the creek bed on CR 256. The San Augustine County Historical Foundation, San Augustine County Historical Commission and the City of San Augustine became active in removing, transporting, pouring foundations, sand blasting and painting, then placing the bridge over the Ayish Bayou near the Chamber of Commerce building in 2003. These bridges were well designed and fortunately required very little maintence.

About the Caboose:
The Ce-8 caboose class was built by the International Car Company in 1978. A few Ce-8s survived through the Burlington Northern Santa Fe merger, in use as shoving platforms for local work, but most of the class were retired in the 1990s.