When the fort was founded in 1859, it was located alongside the famed Comanche Springs, an ancient oasis of fresh water in the desert, used by animals, Spanish explorers, and native Indian tribes for thousands of years. By the time of the OST, the springs were drying up and had become intermittent. By the time of the end of the OST, the springs were completely dry, victims of overpumping.
From the Handbook of Texas: (
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"FORT STOCKTON. Fort Stockton, constructed of adobe and named for Lt. Edward Dorsey Stockton, an officer in the First Infantry who had died in San Antonio in 1857, was established by the United States Army on January 17, 1859, at Comanche Springs, which was within the site of the present city of Fort Stockton, for the protection of the mail service, travelers, and freighters.
Comanche Springs was on the Comanche war trail into Mexico, the upper and lower San Antonio-El Paso-San Diego roads, the Butterfield Overland Mail route, and the San Antonio-Chihuahua Trail, and near the Pecos River-New Mexico road. Capt. Arthur T. Lee, commanding Company C, Eighth Infantry, on order of Col. Carlos A. Waite, who commanded all federal troops in Texas, abandoned the post in April 1861. On June 26 the post was reoccupied by Capt. Charles L. Pyron, in command of Company B, Second Regiment, Texas Mounted Rifles. It was abandoned by the Confederates in August 1862, after Gen. Henry H. Sibley's defeat in New Mexico.
On July 21, 1867, Fort Stockton, in ruins after the Civil War, was reoccupied by Gen. Edward Hatch, who made it the headquarters for the Ninth United States Cavalry, a regiment of black troops. Hatch built a new post nearby at a cost of $82,000 on land the federal government neither owned nor had leased. Except for the stone guardhouse, the buildings had stone foundations, adobe walls, and dirt roofs. The troops quartered at the post were used for patrols, escorts, and scouts, largely against the Apaches.
In 1882, after the Apaches had been defeated, the army began withdrawing the troops. The last contingent, a company of the Third Cavalry and two companies of the Sixteenth Infantry, commanded by Maj. George A. Purington, left on June 26–27, 1886.
By providing protection to travelers and settlers, a market for stockmen, irrigation farmers, and merchants, and employment for freighters, mechanics, and laborers, Fort Stockton promoted the establishment and development of a thriving community. Since their abandonment by the military, some of the officers' quarters have been used continuously for residences. In 1936 the state erected a marker at the site of the fort on the grounds of the Pecos County Courthouse."
There are actually two state historic markers about Fort Stockton the Pecos County Courthouse. The first one, erected in 1936, is made of gray granite and reads as follows:
"SITE OF FORT STOCKTON
Established on the Comanche Trail March 23, 1859, as a protection to the San Antonio-San Diego mail route. Named in honor of Commodore Robert Field Stockton, 1795-1866, who captured California for the United States. A stage stand on the San Diego Line, 1858-1861. Evacuated by federal troops during the civil war, reoccupied July, 1867. Permanently abandoned June 30, 1886."
The second is made of pink granite and was erected in 1963:
"FORT STOCKTON C.S.A.
After federal evacuation at start of Civil War, occupied by 2nd Regiment Texas Mounted Rifles. On far western frontier defense line. Supply post for troops going to and from Arizona-New Mexico campaign 1861-1862, designed to make confederacy an ocean to ocean nation. At times this area was the center of Comanche and Apache activities. California union troops dominated area 1862-65. Stopover on way west for many union sympathizers and people wanting to avoid conflict of war.
A monument to Texans who served the Confederacy
Erected by the State of Texas
1963"
"From the Historic Fort Stockton website: (
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Historic Fort Stockton is located on the east side of town at the intersection of Fifth and Rooney streets. Today the site includes three buildings from the original Officers’ Row (one is a private residence), the original limestone Guard House, two reconstructed Enlisted Men’s Barracks and Kitchens, and the original parade ground.
Military presence began here with the establishment of Camp Stockton in 1858 by troops of from the 1st and 8th Infantry, US Army. This first site was southwest of the present location, near the Pecos County Courthouse.
The post protected travelers and settlers on the numerous roads and trails (including the stage lines) heading west to Mexico and California from San Antonio. The abundant water supply of Comanche Springs made Fort Stockton a regular stop on these frontier crossroads, and it was here that these trails intersected the Comanche War Trail.
The US Army withdrew from Texas during the Civil War and abandoned Camp Stockton in 1861. Confederate troops briefly occupied the site until they too, withdrew. By the end of the war little remained of this first post.
In July 1867, Colonel Edward Hatch, Commander of the 9th Cavalry, re-established Fort Stockton at its present location. The new fort was garrisoned by four companies of the 9th Cavalry, one of the new regiments created for the black men knows as “Buffalo Soldiers” who sought security in the US Army after the Civil War. The post- war fort was occupied for nineteen years (1867-1886). The fort’s 960 acres were leased from civilian landowners. An additional 25 acres on Comanche Creek were leased for the fort’s garden. By the early 1880’s the “Indian menace” was no longer a threat, and the future of the fort was limited. It was finally abandoned in 1886 as the frontier moved west.
The fort consisted of about 35 buildings, two of them, the Guard House and Powder Magazine were built of locally quarried limestone from surrounding mesas, and the remainders were constructed of adobe brick with limestone foundations. Of the original buildings, only four remain: the Guard House and three of the eight Officers’ Quarters (one of which is a private residence).
The two Enlisted Men’s Barracks and Kitchens were reconstructed from original blueprints, following extensive archeological excavations.
Historic Fort Stockton, listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, is owned by the City of Fort Stockton and managed by the Fort Stockton Historical Society.
Barracks 1 houses the Museum and Visitor Center containing informative videos on fort history and the Buffalo Soldiers who occupied this site, original photographs and artifacts, and a gift shop. Visitors can tour the Fort and Museum for a small admission fee."