Austin was selected as capital of the Republic of Texas in 1839 by Mirabeau Lamar. Judge Edwin Waller, later the city's first mayor, created a plan with a grid of intersecting streets. North/south streets were named for Texas rivers, and east/west streets were named for the state's native trees (changed to numbers in the 1890's). The central north/south road was named Congress Avenue. In 1874, tracks were first laid on the avenue for mule drawn streetcars. By the early 1900's, a mix of horse drawn carriages and electric streetcars traveled on the dirt avenue. In 1905, Congress became the first street to be paved in Austin. Around 1910, the first "skyscrapers" were built on diagonally opposite corners of 6th and Congress, and by the 1920's, motorized vehicles dominated the road. This 5-part Lab Cache will take you on a short tour of historic downtown Austin. The walk is only 6 blocks and should take less than an hour. An optional bonus cache is also available. See the cache page for parking information.
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