There's so much to see and do in the Big Bend area of Texas, it's kinda hard to get to it all. But a trip to Fort Davis and the Fort Davis National Historic Site should be on everyone's agenda.
Yea, I know. I've already spent a bunch of time writing about the west Texas forts, but they have such an interesting history, and let's face it, without them, a lot of the western U.S might not have been settled.
Hmm.. no California without the forts? Like the man said "maybe we didn't do such a good thing after all."
Kidding, of course, but a big reason why the forts existed was to protect travelers during the early days of western expansion.
Fort Davis was originally established in 1854 and named for Jefferson Davis who was at the time Secretary of War. From then until the onset of the Civil War, the fort acted as a base for up to 400 soldiers, as well as the Camel Corps, the attempt by army to use Camels to carry supplies.
During the war, it was part of the Confederate Army's installation, staffed by the second Texas Rifles. It served as a crucial supply depot for Confederate General Sibley's New Mexico campaign.
There isn't enough space here to go into Sibley's campaign, but suffice to say had it been successful the outcome of the war would definitely been different. I encourage readers to look this up. It's quite a story, and one not often told.
After the war, the fort sat empty for five years until a new Fort Davis was established several miles away on flat land near Limpia Creek. There, the fort operated for 14 years as a place of protection and refuge for travelers along the San Antonio to El Paso route, a major part of westward expansion.
And, like many other forts, the Buffalo Soldiers played a significant role. Elements of the Ninth and Tenth Calvary, as well as the Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Infantry were stationed at the fort and contributed proudly to the protection provided by the fort.
After the fort was abandoned in 1891, it continued to contribute. For many years the buildings were occupied by civilians, who naturally kept them up. Because of this, the deterioration that plagued many of the other old forts was staved off.
Despite this, the fort would have crumbled to ruin had it not been for some enterprising locals, and the efforts of Houston Attorney D.A. Simmons, who purchased the site in 1946 with the intent of restoring some of the buildings and turning the place into a tourist attraction, with homes and apartments.
While this was good news for Fort Davis in that Simmons spent a lot of money on the site, filling in wells, building a fence around the property and restoring some of the officers quarters, Simmons also planned to destroy some of the old adobe structures to make room for the dwellings. Thank goodness all this didn't come to pass.
What Simmons did do was set in motion a chain of events that led to the designation of Fort Davis as a National Historic Site. And because of the work he and subsequent others did, the fort stands today as an excellent example of frontier life.
Here it is, folks. Side note time: Legend has it that, during the time of ownership by Simmons and his wife, a cache of 100 whisky bottles were found buried near the camp store. According to the caretaker that found them, they were buried by the Union quartermaster as the army was leaving the fort to Confederate control. A supposed "stubborn of Yankee from New England," the quartermaster didn't want the "damned rebels" drinking is his whisky to celebrate taking over the fort.
Many years later, the caretaker admitted he had found the whisky buried nearby on Sleeping Lion Mountain. No one really knows the true story, but it made for a great tale! And it led to the creation of a museum at the fort - further impetus on the road to historical site designation.
Today, the fort contains many of the improvements made by Simmons, as well as restored barracks, hospital and several more officers quarters. The visitors center offers a museum and a very good video on the history of the fort.
OK, that's it for this week. I'm headed home to Dallas for the Christmas Holidays, but have a few more stories in my pocket.
See you next week.
Later, folks.
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