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We said our goodbyes to Frances and Joe early and got on our way about 7:30 AM. It was foggy for quite a while.
We drove slowly and the sun started to finally came through about 90 miles down the road. By then we were near where the Pecos River joins the Rio Grande.
The lookout sneaks up on you but we were forewarned and were looking for it so we able to pull off and take a few pictures. I didn't realize there were mountains and some elevation down south in Texas.
By the time we got to our destination of Alpine, Texas we were up to 4514 feet.
We found the Lost Alaskan RV Park easily and got set up.
It was in the high 70's and turned into a beautiful day. We left for a visit to the historic Fort Davis. Along the way we saw some beautiful country.
26 miles up the road we found Fort Davis.
Fort Davis is currently run by the National Park Service. In the 1850's the location was an important stop for travelers and wagon trains making their way out to California and the Gold Rush along the San Antonio - El Paso Road on the Chihuahua Trail.
The Indians were not too happy about it and subjected travelers to attack and many died.
The U.S. government was charged with protecting the trail and fought off the Kiowas, Comanche and Apache. From 1854 until 1891 about 250 troops were station here.
The Visitor Center was set up in the barracks which had been restored. We watched a short video that was narrated by Kareem Abdul Jabar.
He did a good job and it was the first time I'd seen in western attire...
A lot of buildings at Fort Davis have been restored although many on the grounds just have the foundations showing.
We were able to see the commissary, enlisted quarters, officers houses, commander's quarters and the hospital.
The grounds really stretch out over a large area so we had a good hike getting around to see all the buildings.
Fort Davis was named for Secretary of War Jefferson Davis and was closed in 1891 when the government consolidated its frontier forts. It was authorized as a National Historic Site in 1961 and restoration has been ongoing ever since. If you get the chance to see it, you may agree Fort Davis is "one of the best examples of an Indian wars frontier military posts". Having just been at Fort Clark, we think it gives you a very good glimpse into the past.
That is it for this edition. Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!
Another great post. Reminded me of Fort Laramie in WY we visited last year. There is so much history in these old forts. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post on the fort... Love history and this was very informative... Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHave fun & travel safe!
Donna
Really liked the Lost Alaskan RV Park. Very clean washrooms, good showers and they usually have some neat stuff in their store. I still have a T-shirt that I bought there with cactus on it.
ReplyDeleteWe tried to go to Ft. Davis from I-10 one February a few years ago...We ran into ice the minute we began climbing, so we turned around and came back...We still want to get there...Thanks for the tour!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the brief history lesson! Ft Davis looks like an interesting place and one that we'll put on our list to see. Travel safely out there!
ReplyDeleteAnother great tour and history lesson - thanks! What a surprise to see Kareem Abdul Jabbar dressed up like a cowboy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! It's so amazing to learn about the history in our own backyards.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very interesting area there.
ReplyDeleteIf you get the chance, see the State Park: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/davis_mountains/ and the Observatory: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/
If you are going to Big Bend the road from Presidio to Terlingua is spectacular, but it does have some hills.
Happy Trails, Penny, TX
www.pennys-tuppence.blogspot.com
Great post. This is very close to where we will have our home base so it is on our list.
ReplyDelete