Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site

 THE TWO LIVES OF FORT RICHARDSON

In the 1850's the Texas Emigration and Land Office was offering land grants, drawing large numbers of settlers. This land, of course, already had residents... namely the Native Americans who had lived here for generations. At first, with smaller numbers of settlers the tribes accepted the newcomers, but as the numbers increased, understandably, they began to object to the changes they were seeing in their land. The conflicts that followed are the theme and purpose for this fort, which is now a state park.

Between 1867 and 1875 southern plains tribes, largely Kiowa and Comanche, saw their way of life under attack,  leading to violent battles with the U.S. Army.  The park interpretive center has some wonderful informative displays offering insights into the Native American cultures as well as the settlers and the military at that time. 

The nearby town of Jacksboro was already settled (in the 1850's) when the northernmost outpost Fort Richardson was established in 1868. The post hospital was completed in 1870.

The fort's tasks in this "first life" were protection of the settlement of Jacksboro, as well as the northern Texas border. Cavalry and infantry troops were assigned to duty on the northern Texas frontier, and Fort Richardson was a key post during these times of unrest. The Battle of Palo Duro Canyon (see previous post) took place in 1874 and is considered the final big battle of the Red River War 1874-1875. This fort was established before that battle took place.

Life at the fort was not luxurious. Long and difficult patrols, sometimes all the way to Palo Duro Canyon 300 miles away, often in treacherous weather, illness, spoiled food, in addition to wounds acquired in battle or from the routine of daily life in this harsh environment. These patrols, along with guarding the military road connecting Fort Richards to other forts in the southwest. Of the original 60+ buildings only a few remain, and some are modern replicas. The hospital, picture below, is one of the most complete buildings at the fort. 

Foundations remain for some that have been lost to time and the elements, and those remaining are now nicely supplied with furnishings and mannequins dressed for the period so one can understand how life must have been in those early years of the fort. The infirmary, shown below, must have been miserably cold in the winter with only one small wood stove to heat the high-ceiling room. 

After the Battle of Palo Duro, the north Texas frontier was relatively secure and soldiers were no longer needed at Fort Richardson. Orders to abandon Fort Richardson were issued March 29, 1878.

THE SECOND LIFE OF FORT RICHARDSON

During World War II, Fort Richardson was reactivated and became an active Texas National Guard installation as the mobilization site for Battery F, 2ndBattalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. This "second life" is an important contribution to the survival of some of the existing/original structures. 

In early 1942, the battalion fought alongside the Dutch on the island of Java to repel a Japanese invasion. The unit and 368 sailors from the USS Houston were captured when the Dutch surrendered the island in March. The fate of the men who were fighting there remained a mystery until the end of the war. They became known as the “Lost Battalion.”

Imprisoned for 42 months the men suffered harsh working conditions and tropical diseases and injuries with no medical treatment. The 738 members of the Lost Battalion who managed to survive were liberated on August 15, 1945. There is a state historical marker near the visitor center for the fort commemorating these men. 

THE TOWN OF JACKSBORO

The nearby town of Jacksboro was originally named "Mesquiteville" when it was established in the 1850's, due to the dominance of mesquite trees in the area, the name was changed in 1858 when it became the county seat for Jack County, named in honor of brothers William and Patrick Jack. 

The population of Jacksboro was a little over 4,000 in the 2020 census, but seems much larger. Several of the historic buildings on Main Street survive, though considerable restoration is needed for some of them. Most have been repurposed from their original use as banks and hotels to now housing smaller retail businesses, restaurants, and B & B's.  It is a pleasant little town and has all the services one might need. We enjoyed driving a few of the side streets and looking at the historic homes. 

This mural on Main street depicts the various industries in the area. 

We arrived at the state park late in the afternoon on May 3. It was a long drive from Palo Duro Canyon!  With gray skies overhead we scurried to set up camp, and by 7 p.m. we were deep into thunder and lightening and really high wind. Then came the rain and hail. Not really much total precipitation but it surely came down with a flourish! 

The camping and hiking facilities in the park are some of the best we've seen. There are trails everywhere, and huge fields of mown grass where that is appropriate and natural fields of wildflowers and blooming cactus in the plentiful wide open spaces. We enjoyed our site's open space and sat outside listening to the birds. My Merlin app identified several species by their songs, but most of them remained hidden in the dense shrubbery. Little furrows in the leaf duff along the walking paths indicated the armadillos were busy overnight, and the butterflies were out if full force, sampling the nectar in the wildflowers.

Rumbling Springs the feeds a lovely gurgling stream in the middle of the park, and the nearby twin lakes area offers fishing and swimming. The campsites here are larger and more widely spaced than usual, offering privacy as well as better views of the surrounding landscape than one usually has. This is really a beautiful and well maintained park!

Check the album for more photos and information about the park and the history of the town. 

Palo Duro State Park

Monday, April 29

"Nothing to make a shadow", that was the first thing to pop into my mind as we left the rolling green of northern Texas Hill Country and entered the plains area of the Texas panhandle. Flat....as far as the eye can see, the sky becomes so large it dwarfs even the modern day wind generators slowly rotating above the dwarfed farm houses and outbuildings. 

Sometimes it's a lone windmill, other times the entire farm seems to have been given over to "wind farming".  The book title I mention above was written by a woman recalling her very early days as a settler on the plains of South Dakota. I wonder what she would think of the Texas plains. Not much in the way of shadows here, even now.  

I can't begin to imagine the surprise of those who arrive from the eastern states so many years ago, traveling across the miles and miles of flat-flat-flat land known as the Great Plains, only to come upon this, an 800 foot deep canyon laced with layers of red and white with glistening rivers and creeks flowing through a small forest of trees and shrubs.

We're staying in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The Spanish name "Palo Duro", which translates to "hard wood" refers to the Rocky Mountain junipers that grow here. The canyon also contains mesquite (also a very hard wood), cottonwood, willow, western soapberry and hackberry. A variety of shrubs and other greenery fill the canyon floor, especially this time of year when many things are in full bloom.

The early development of Palo Duro Canyon as a park relied largely on the work of the Civilian Conservation Corp. First came the road, a fascinating and very steep involving many switchbacks. Then came the El Coronado Lodge. The building serves as the visitor center and gift shop today, but a photo tells of the rustic luxury of the Mission era when it was first completed.

The many retaining walls and stone bridges found throughout the park are also the work of the CCC. 

Palo Duro Canyon was formed over millions of years. of water erosion by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River with a bit of help from the famous the West Texas wind. The cliffs, gullies, layers of color and ever changing shadows are a joy to watch as the lighting changes during the day. Some of the formations have been given fanciful names, like the Lighthouse, taken as the symbol of the canyon. We also learned about the Sad Monkey, which can be viewed from the area behind the Old West Stables. 

Many years ago there was a small railroad that ran in that area, providing visitors with ongoing narrative about the canyon and it's history during the ride. The name "Sad Monkey was inspired by a rock formation, and the sprit is kept alive in the name of a mercantile just outside the park. The historical Sad Monkey Railroad is no longer running, a victim of regulations and insurance costs, it has been restored and sits on display in Neblett Park in the nearby town of Canyon. In 2019 a state historic marker was placed near the train display in the park. The tracks have been removed and bits of them are available on Ebay as souvenirs. 

The nearby town of Canyon (20 miles away) is worth visiting, if not for the train, then for a visit to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the beautiful collection of artifacts, art, and cultural presentations. This is truly a beautiful museum, with the most artistic, informative and professional presentations of historic artifacts, art objects, and the range of cultures in the area over time. I couldn't help taking a few photos, though it's difficult to truly present the experience without being there. 

The Native Americans knew about Palo Duro canyon long before the settlers arrived of course, they had been living in the canyon and hunting the abundant wildlife for generations. That fact and the desire for the settlers of the westward movement led to the Red River War. (more here Red River War) It was not just one simple battle, but part of a process over several years that led to the complete destruction of the Native American culture in the plains area. The Panhandle-Plains Museum does an excellent job of illustrating the complexities of the cultural changes of those times. 

The park is a network of trails and offers surprising things to discover along the way. We heard the turkeys long before we saw them, and it took some serious hunting to find the dugout style cabin. Wildflowers and shrubs we've never seen before decorate the slopes, and there are several small creeks crossing the trails. Horses, bicycles, dogs and humans are all welcome here. 

Our site is #90 in the Mesquite Camp area. It's a great site, with  couple of drawbacks. The first is, there is a giant dumpster placed exactly where a vehicle needs access to in order to make the swing when backing a trailer into the space. The second is that the shelter and picnic table assigned to this site are actually closer to the adjacent site than to this one. This is probably the result of changes in site design over the years, and we have a table of our own as well as the shade of the awning so all is well. We have lots of space and a great view to the canyon out the back window. 

The dogs are loving all the room for sniffing, and the many trails for our frequent walks. Though all the spaces seem to be occupied by evening this doesn't seem to be an especially busy time of year for the park.   

The book mentioned is  Nothing to Make a Shadow. Faye Cashatt Lewis. 1940

 More photos in the album, along with some explanatory notes. 

    

Lake Brownwood State Park

Our travels in the past have generally been to sites and activities in other states, but there is so much fascinating history in Texas, not to mention beautiful scenery, that we've decided we'll try for shorter trips closer to home for awhile. Our final destination on this short excursion is Palo Duro Canyon State Park, in the panhandle area of Texas.

Sunday

Our first travel day was windy, overcast, and a bit wet. Not so great for driving or photography, but it did provide an opportunity to test out the new hitch stabilizer. 

After several hours of driving in pretty stiff wind the Trail Master reports. . .  The Way-Safe allows adjustment based on an internal weight scale which allows for real time adjustments depending on the load at the time.  Theoretically this leads to better sway control. So far so good, but still evaluating. 

(click on any photo for a larger view)

Our reservation for the evening was in Lake Brownwood State Park, about a 3 hour drive from San Marcos. 

This is a bass lake, and other campers mentioned they were here for a fishing tournament, but it had been delayed a day because of the nigh winds. Fortunately, Sunday dawned bright and sunny, so I'm sure the contestants all had a good time. 

 We arrived late in the afternoon and settled in to space #1 in Willow Point loop. What a great site! Plenty long, no obstructions to make backing in difficult, and a beautiful wildflower meadow for our front door. 

We enjoyed driving around the park and exploring the many structures left by the CCC corps.

Many of the projects the CCC completed have succumbed to the effects of weather and erosion, but many remain.

A stone picnic table the the foundations for benches, along with a fireplace for warming are tucked up in the trees only a few campsites away from ours. 

There's also a beautiful lodge with stone walls and smaller out buildings that are still in use, though they need a lot of TLC.  

 A monument in front of the lodge  honors the men of the Civilian Conservation Core and the 36th Army Infantry Division which worked alongside and supervised the CCC in the building of the park. 

Access to the lake for fishing and boating include several boat ramps and fishing docks. The water level is quite low due to the past several years of drought, but the docks and bridges all seem constructed to adapt to the changes. 

One path and fishing pier caught my eye, they are designed to float as one piece, while just past them is a sturdy bridge over the water that seems arched high enough to accommodate any possible rise in water level. 

Though we only spent two nights in the park we enjoyed it very much. The wildflower meadows and multiple places to hike walk the pups are hard to beat!

By Monday the sun was shining and all the wildflowers perked up. Our meadow from the campground entrance had quite a variety of flowers, and this seems an especially good year for the cactus blooms.

Departure day, wouldn't you know it? Fog rolled in.... 

 

Now, northward to Palo Duro Canyon!