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FORT DAVIS,
TEXAS
Film Location of
Dancer,
Texas Pop. 81 (1996)
Jeff Davis County seat, West
Texas
Hwys 17 & 118
36 miles S of I-10
21 miles N of Marfa
26 miles N of Alpine
Population:
1,050 (2000)
Fort
Davis Area Hotels - Here & Save
Alpine
Hotels
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Ft.
Davis and its Buildings c. 1950
Photo Courtesy TXDoT |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The county, town and fort were all named after Jefferson Davis,
although the county had originally been Presidio County. Fort
Davis was named prior to Davis' term as President of the Confederate
States. As U.S. Secretary of War - Davis signed the order establishing
the facility and was thus honored.
Originally
the site of the fort was an Indian camp. A stage stop was set up in
1850 for the mail route between San Antonio and El Paso
with a man named Diedrick Dutchover in charge. The Fort
was formed in 1854 to billet the troops needed to patrol and
protect the area from Apaches.
During the Civil War, the Confederate Army left Diedrick in charge
of the fort, but he and his party were attacked by Apaches.and forced
to abandon the place. In 1867, The Ninth U.S. Cavalry reoccupied
the fort and the town experienced new growth as an important West
Texas crossroads.
Ft. Davis had only 500 people in 1894, but the population remained
between 700-1,200 for decades. Various plans to develop Ft. Davis
as a tourist destination have failed over the years - not because
they were bad ideas - but because of the deaths of the would-be developers.
One such plan was instrumental in getting approval of Ft. Davis as
a National Historic Site in 1961. |
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Davis County Jail. Built at the same time as the courthouse (1910.)
No historical marker. Photo Courtesy Terry Jeanson, Dec. 2005 |
Fort Davis attractions include:
Overland
Trail Museum : Former home of Nick Mersfelter, Barber, Justice
of the Peace and versatile musician. Many historical relics of early
life in the area.
Fort Davis
National Historic Site: Est. in 1854 - deactivated in 1891.
This was the main Fort that garrisoned troops that patrolled the
border from El Paso to San Antonio. The post was abandoned during
the Civil War and re-occupied by troops of the 9th Cavalry. Museum.
Open 9 to 5 daily except for major holidays.
Davis Mountains
State Park: 6 miles west of Ft. Davis on Park Road 3 off Hwy
118. 1,800 acres.
Chihuahuan
Desert Visitor Center:
A must-see for the visiting naturalist. On Hwy 118, 3.5 miles south
of Ft. Davis. 915-364-2499.
The
McDonald Observatory:
Nearby, on top of Mount Locke (Altitude 6,800 ft.) - 16 miles NW
of Fort Davis. Managed and owned by the University of Texas. At
the bottom of the mountain. Visitor's Center open daily 9 to 5.
1-877-984-7827.
The Chamber of Commerce: 432-426-3015
Website: www.fortdavis.com
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First
Presbyterian Church in Fort Davis
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2005 |
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Fort
Davis Masonic Lodge
TE photo |
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Overland Trail Museum
TE photo, 2000 |
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Catilyn
Bailey
Courtesy Mr. and Mrs. Bailey
© 1996 Kermit Lancaster |
| Caitlyn Bailey
was a pioneer reenactor at the Fort. She and her brother Kyle (not
pictured) would remind visitors that there were children out west
too. The photo was taken in 1996 by Kermit Lancaster who added that
"….Caitlyn was a wonderful addition to our visit to Fort Davis. My
own daughters were 10 and 6 at the time. Caitlyn showed them how to
wash clothes "pioneer-style" in a washtub with lye soap and hang them
out to dry. It was great fun for the girls to perform that menial
chore... once!" |
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An
abandoned homestead near Ft. Davis
Photo Courtesy Patrick Cantrell |
Fort
Davis Texas Forum
Subject: Naming Jeff Davis County
Dear TE, Just a note to correct a misstatement by one of your correspondents
on the Ft. Davis page. C. F. Eckhardt wrote on June 3, 2006, that
Texas has the only county in the country named after the Confederate
president, Jefferson Davis. This is actually an error. *There
is a Jeff Davis County in Georgia (where else?!); the town of Hazelhurst
is the county seat (it's in Southeast Georgia).
I ran across Texas Escapes more
or less by chance (I was searching for the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering
website at the time), and I immediately bookmarked your production.
It is a wonderful resource for those who are interested in Texas,
its people, its geography, and its history. I am not a Texas native,
but two of our four daughters are--and they are quite proud of that
fact. My wife and I spent three quite enjoyable years in Austin
while I earned my Ph.D. in English at the University of Texas ("Hook
'Em, Horns!"). I look back on my days in Texas
as among the best three years of my life. (I'm now a retired college
English professor.)
Thank your for the effort you have put into making Texas
Escapes such a good [magazine]. - Cordially, Rick Thurman,
(Dr. William R. Thurman, Jr.),Thomaston, Georgia, August 28, 2007
Subject:
Naming Jeff Davis County
Fort Davis, the military post, was originally named for then-Secretary
of War Jefferson Davis, who expanded the army & for the first time
started calling Regular Army horse soldiers cavalry. Up to then
they'd been dragoons & mounted rifles. After the War Between the
States, when the US Army reoccupied Fort Davis, it was announced
that the post would no longer be Fort Jefferson Davis, but Fort
Edmund J. Davis. E. J. Davis, the reconstruction governor, was probably
the single most hated man in Texas at the time. Therefore, when
the county was split off from Presidio County, the people voted
to name it 'Jeff Davis County,' restoring the name of the original
fort. As a result, Texas has the only county in the country named
for the Confederate President*--and
the only county in the world named for Ireland's patron saint--San
Patricio. - C. F. Eckhardt, June 03, 2006
Turnstiles
on Court House Grounds
Around 1993 when I had taken a group to the Big Bend and we stayed
at the Prue Ranch, I asked one of the local citizens about the turnstiles
on the Jeff Davis Court House grounds. She informed me that they
were placed there to keep the burros out. Originally, trade between
the US and Mexico was conducted by traders using the burros as pack
animals to carry the trade goods. When the burros were replaced
by wagons, the traders let the burros run loose. The burros made
the court house grounds part of their home. They became such a nuisance
that the locals built the fence and the four turnstiles around the
court house to keep them out. - John Gibbs, March 25, 2006
Subject:
The McDonald Observatory
There is one telescope here that’s owned by 5 universities, but
not the whole complex. Everything here is managed and owned by the
Univ. of Texas. Also, if anyone wants more information about the
new Visitors Center here, they can check our website at http://McDonaldObservatory.org
or call our toll free information line at 1-877-984-7827. Enjoyed
your site! Thanks. - Mark Cash, Public Affairs Specialist, U.T.
McDonald Observatory, September 28, 2002
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Do you know where this gas station in the Davis Mountains was?
Photo courtesy Nancy McVickar |
Do you
know where this gas station in the Davis Mountains was?
My Grandparents owned a gas station at Davis Mt., Texas (see photo).
Would you or any of your readers know the address of this station?
I doubt it is still standing. The photo which was in my grandmother's
photo album belongs to my cousin who was planning a trip out that
way in mid-September and doesn't recall the address or the highway.
She spent some time with our grandparents there when she was a little
girl when they were running the station. Any information would be
appreciated. Thank you. - Alysia (Meyers) Hargus, August 26,
2004
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