 In
the 18th century the area now bounded by Highway 59, the
state of Louisiana, Sam Rayburn Reservoir and the Gulf of
Mexico was known to the Spaniards as the ATASCOSITO
DISTRICT (Spanish Spelling). In an effort to
strengthen their claim to this land against the French, in
1757, the Spaniards established the settlement of ATASCOSITO.
This settlement was located approximately 3 miles north of
the present city of Liberty. It became the center of
government for the ATASCOSITO DISTRICT.
The Atascosito District was rich in natural resources.
Cattle and lumber were the main commodities during the
18th and 19th centuries. Cattle were driven down the
Atascosito Road, which originated in South Texas, and
continued through the Atascosito District to the Port of
New Orleans.
The Spaniards then experienced an influx of Anglo
colonists from Louisiana. They traveled along the
Atascosito Road in search of Spanish land grants. They
were prepared to endure the hardships of frontier life in
exchange for a new way of life.
In 1821, the Anglo colonists established a new town
south of Atascosito. They called it the city of Libertad.
After the Texas Revolution, the city was renamed Liberty.
Today the word "ATASCOSITO" is spelled ATASCOCITA.
It is centered around the intersection of West Lake
Houston Parkway and FM 1960. To the north lies Kingwood,
to the west lies the City of Humble,
to the east is Lake Houston, and to the south is the golf
course community of Walden on Lake Houston and the new
developing master planned community of Summerwood.
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