The history of Fort McKavett State Historic Site began centuries before the arrival of U.S. Army soldiers in 1852. The primary focus of our interpretation at Fort McKavett will focus on post establishment stories going into the 20th Century. However, a cursory knowledge of the entire history of Fort McKavett will be useful to all volunteers.

 

The first indications of human settlement in the Fort McKavett area show that the Jumano populated this area on permanent, or at least regular, basis. The Jumano are an interesting tribe. Spanish records indicate that some bands of Jumano were settled tribe in villages similar to Pueblos. In other regions, Jumano were nomadic and hunted buffalo. Both Spanish and French sources indicate contact with Jumano as far west as western New Mexico and as far east and the Gulf Coast of Texas. They show that the Jumano were traders who bridged the gap between Native tribes in the Southwest and those further east, acting as traders. The Jumano also appear to be political leaders among Texas tribes, looking to form a confederation of tribes from the area. European contact with Jumano was generally positive, with Jumano volunteering their services as guides soon after the Spaniards arrival. As Spanish colonies grow in New Mexico, the Jumano move further east but the loss of trading ability directly contributed to their fall from prominence in Texas. By 1713, Jumano are rarely mentioned in European sources and they appear to have been absorbed into the increasingly dominant Apache tribes moving into the area. The presence of deep grinding holes used to turn acorns into flour indicate that this area was the site of frequent, even permanent, settlement for centuries.

 

The Apache, specifically the Lipan, became the dominant tribe in the Fort McKavett area during the early half of the 18th Century. The Lipan Apache influence on Texas history and culture cannot be understated. These people spent the better part of two centuries in contact with Hispanic and Anglo settlers alike, in both peaceful and violent interactions. By the mid-18th Century, they were well established in the San Saba River Valley and were formal Native allies to the Spanish Empire. However, by this time the Lipan Apache faced more pressing threats from the north than they did from European settlers. The Comanche were pressuring them from Llano Estacado and the treaty signed with the Spanish by the Lipan was seen as strategic for both groups. The Lipan, while not particularly interested in the religion of the Spanish, were anxious to have a mission system established in the San Saba valley. They understood that the establishment of a mission system meant the construction of a fort that would be occupied by Spanish soldiers. They hoped that this would lead to some relief from Comanche pressures.

 

In April 1757, Father Alonzo de Terreros and Don Diego Ortiz de Parilla arrived in the San Saba Valley with the intent of establishing two missions and the accompanying presidia (fort). The mission, established roughly three miles east of present-day Menard was named Santa Cruz de San Saba. The presidio was established along the banks of the river roughly half a mile west of Menard and named San Luis de las Amarillas. A second mission was planned but never constructed. Eleven months after the arrival of the missionaries and the establishment of the mission, a large band of Comanche and their Kiowa allies attacked and burned the mission, martyring the priests there and killing nearly all other inhabitants. The wooden mission was burned, never to be reconstructed. Presidio Amarillas was continuously garrisoned for another ten years until to was abandoned in 1768. Today, the mission structure is entirely lost to time. A historical marker along FM 2092 east bound out of Menard marks the location of the ill-fated religious site. The presidio, however, can be visited and explored. Many of the original stones were harvested to build early buildings in Menard (some of which still stand on San Saba St.). The location itself is home to some reconstructed ruins that compromise a small, but picturesque county historic site. It is located on US Hwy. 190, roughly one mile west of Menard.

 

With the failed mission attempt on the San Saba River, the entire area was returned to the control of Native tribes. The Lipan Apache, in constant and bloody warfare with the ever more expansive Comanche, were pushed out of the San Saba valley and the Comanche held rough dominion over the area. The Comanche are a branch of the Shoshone from Wyoming. They were introduced to the horse in the late 17th Century and are thought to be the first Plains tribe to fully incorporate horses into their way of life. Growing to become skilled horsemen, the Comanche rate among the Mongols, the Parthians, and the Huns as some of the finest mounted warriors in world history. The newly acquired horse led the Comanche to break ties with the remainder of the Shoshone and migrate south in search of better hunting grounds and sources of horses among European colonists. The Comanche were a nomadic people that followed herds of buffalo on their migratory paths and hunted them for food, clothing, shelter, and many other necessities. They did not operate as a single, unified organization. Rather, several bands operated mostly autonomously. The population boomed as the Comanche lured other Shoshone to join them, captured women and children from European, Mexican, and American settlers, and held uncontested control over much of the southern herd of buffalo. The area occupied by the Comanche was known as the Comancheria. This compromised parts of Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Raiding and the stealing of livestock was a major part of the Comanche way of life in Texas. As Spanish, Mexican, Texan, and eventually American settlement in Texas grew, this became the impetus for a new effort to militarize the San Saba Valley.

 

The annexation of Texas into the United States as the 28th state and the subsequent Mexican-American War would forever change the destiny of the San Saba Valley. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ceded nearly the entire Southwest to the United States in exchange for $15 million. The discovery of gold in the now US state of California made the concept of "manifest destiny" a tangible reality. The United States Army in Texas was organized into a new military department, the 8th Military Department, headquartered in San Antonio. With the Gold Rush in full swing, the Army was compelled to scout, survey, and construct roads for westward-bound settlers. On February 12, 1849, Captain William Henry Chase Whiting left San Antonio with the instructions to plan a route to El Paso that passed through San Saba and Concho country before meeting with the Pecos and continuing west to its destination. Whiting mentions his perusal of an "old Spanish fort" on the San Saba before continuing west to camp on the headwaters on the river. His camp was near the place that Fort McKavett would be established.

 

The Army looked to establish north-south lines of forts that would act as a defensive framework against depredations from Mexico, Comanche bands, and other hostile forces. The first line of forts, called the Federal Defense Line (later the First Federal Defense Line) consisted of Forts Duncan, Inge, Lincoln, Martin Scott, Croghan, Gates, Graham, and Worth. However, both Texas settlement and westward migration soon rendered this line inadequate, and a second line of forts was planned. Between June 1851 and November 1852, seven new forts were established: Belknap, Phantom Hill, Chadbourne, Mason, Terrett, Clark, and McKavett.

 

On March 14, 1852, five companies (Cos. B, D, E, F, & H) of the 8th Regiment of United States Infantry arrived near the headwaters of the San Saba River to establish a post there. Under the command of Colonel Thomas Staniford, the soldiers established "Camp on the San Saba" on a hill near a pond with year-round water. A lime kiln and bakery were constructed, and the establishment of a permanent post had begun. However, after roughly six weeks it was clear that the pond was stagnant, and malaria had become a problem at the fledging post. The decision was made to relocate the post two miles downstream near a large spring near a large limestone hill. This new location was far more suitable, and the fort was then permanently established. The name "Camp/Post on the San Saba" gave way in October 1852 to "Camp McKavett", later Fort McKavett. The post was named for Captain Henry McKavett. Henry McKavett was an orphaned immigrant from Ireland living in New York. He attended West Point, graduating in 1834 and served in the 7th Infantry until 1838, when he was transferred to the 8th Infantry. He was a veteran of the Seminole Wars in Florida and the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma during the opening days of the Mexican War. He was killed by a cannon ball on September 21, 1846 during the Battle of Monterrey.

 

In the early years of Fort McKavett's operation, the primary order of business was constructing the post, conducting escorts for mail and stage routes, and conducting patrols to discourage Comanche depredations. The construction of Fort McKavett was done by soldiers under the direction of skilled contractors, most notably Edmund Wiegle, a German immigrant living in Fredericksburg who was a stone mason by trade. Limestone was abundant and lime was made in a kiln to make mortar. Local wood, pecan and oak, was suitable for rough work but things like doors, windows, and floorboards would be several years in coming to Fort McKavett; cypress was hauled from Kerrville to make shingles for roofs. In August 1853, Colonel W.G. Freeman arrived at Fort McKavett during an inspection of all army facilities in the 8th Military Department. His report reflected the relatively poor condition of the Army in Texas and the frontier forts, including Fort McKavett.

 

Texas was the largest geographic department in the U.S. Army's history to that point. The widespread 8th Department struggled to effectively meet the threats posed by Native American tribes with infantry soldiers armed with muzzle-loading muskets. The arrival of mounted dragoons changed the dynamics and in November 1853, Cos. E & F of the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons arrived at the post. Frontier duty was monotonous, tiresome, and lonely. Soldiers had two main ways of escaping the daily grind: alcohol and desertion. Records indicate that whiskey and beef were acquired monthly, at an average cost of $400. Desertion was a serious problem in the Army in Antebellum Texas, with rates estimated as high as 40%. The hardships of frontier duty were compounded by soldiers' resentment at infrequent and irregular pay schedules and their belief that they were being used as near slave labor to construct buildings and forts. Even though pay was irregular, one benefit for soldiers was their pay was distributed in Mexican silver pesos. These coins were considered more trustworthy than U.S. currency in Texas.

 

By 1858, Indian depredations in the San Saba Valley had dropped dramatically. Menard County was created in March of that year and the area began to be settled. The troops at Fort McKavett, now soldiers of the 1st Infantry, were ordered to abandon the post and on March 22, 1859, Captain Joseph B. Plummer marched Cos. C and F away from Fort McKavett and toward Camp Cooper where Indian depredations were more prevalent. While it may seem that the military defense of the frontier was ineffective when fighting the Comanche, the truth lies in the contrast between 1859 and 1861. The Confederacy and the State of Texas were not as efficient as the federal army was at defending the frontier. During the course of the Civil War, raids in areas considered safe rose dramatically.

 

With Texas' secession in February 1861, frontier defense became the responsibility of the Texas Government with assistance of the Confederate Government. The Texas Secession Convention appointed a Committee of Public Safety to be the governing body for Texas until a new government could be formed. The Convention and Committee set about creating military units to garrison the frontier and occupy many of the now surrendered federal posts. The 1st Texas Mounted Rifles, under the command of Henry McCulloch (the command was originally given to his brother, Ben, who turned it over to his brother) set about occupying these forts. Company E, under the command of Governor H. Nelson, arrived at Fort McKavett in late October, 1861 from their camp on the Concho River near present-day San Angelo. Mounted of horseback, these troopers performed much of the same duties as their federal predecessors, with a notable addition. Around 40 federal prisoners of war were incarcerated at Fort McKavett during the winter of 1861-2. Ironically, these soldiers of the 8th Infantry Regiment captured at the surrender of Adams Hill, were some of the same soldiers who built Fort McKavett almost a decade earlier. The prisoners were moved to Fort Mason in April of 1862 and the Confederate soldiers of Co. E abandoned the post shortly thereafter upon the disbanding of the regiment. The fort was not totally abandoned, however. J.D. Robinson, the landowner of the land upon which the fort was built, lived in the Commanding Officer's Quarters until the return of Federal troops after the war. The fort was also used periodically by minutemen of the 31st Regiment of Texas State Troops (TSTs). During this period of decreased frontier defense, Comanche raids became bolder and the settlement line retreated nearly 100 miles east.

 

In 1864, while a large band of Kickapoo were migrating south in their annual fashion an altercation occurred that set the stage for Fort McKavett's post-war use. The Battle of Dove Creek between Kickapoo, Texas State Troops, and Confederate soldiers was a debacle for the Texans. Miscommunication and arrogance led to an embarrassing rout by the TST's and Confederates but left a sour taste in the mouths of Kickapoo and other Indians in the area that resulted in the Great Raid of 1866. In August of that year, over 200 Indians (sources dispute whether they were Comanche or Kickapoo) raided along the northern and southern banks of the San Saba River and along the Llano Rivers, entering and exiting the San Saba Valley near the abandoned Fort McKavett. An estimated 30,000+ head of cattle were stolen by the raiders and two people were killed. One of them, William McDougall, was living near Fort McKavett at the time and is buried in the Fort McKavett Cemetery.

 

With the end of the Civil War, former Confederate States were placed under martial law under the policies of Reconstruction. Texas and Louisiana were organized into the 5th Military District and the Federal Army returned to Texas in June 1865. In March 1868 the 4th Cavalry arrived in Menard County to reestablish Fort McKavett. They would be followed by the 35th Infantry and regiments of the first African- American regulars in the United States Army: the 41st Infantry and 9th Cavalry. The fort was in disrepair when the Army arrived and the soldiers set to work repairing the buildings and expanding the post. The 41st Infantry was created under the Army Reorganization Act of 1866 and one of four African American infantry regiments (38th, 39th, 40th, & 41st) along with two cavalry regiments (9th & 10th). In 1869, Congress downsized the Army and the 38th and 41st Infantry Regiments were consolidated into the 24th Infantry Regiment at Fort McKavett under the command of Colonel RanaId S. Mackenzie. Mackenzie is arguably Fort McKavett's most notable commander, achieving notoriety during the Civil War and fame during the Indian Wars in the Southwest. Another famous commander was Abner Doubleday, the once supposed inventor of baseball, although that claim has since been refuted. During the late-1860's and 70's, all four regiments of what came to be known as "Buffalo Soldiers" were represented at Fort McKavett. The term Buffalo soldier is thought to be a term of endearment ascribed to the African-American soldiers by the Comanche in Texas who compared the soldiers' dark skin and eyes and curly hair to that of a buffalo. During the early years of Fort McKavett's reestablishment, most of the enlisted soldiers at the fort were African-American.

 

The longest serving unit at Fort McKavett was the 10th Infantry Regiment. Elements of this unit were stationed at Fort McKavett from 1872-9 and saw many modern changes to the post and assisted with the ending of the Indian Wars in Texas. The Medicine Lodge Treaties signed in 1867 had relocated many bands of Texas Natives onto reservations in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). But conflict with locals, trouble with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other factors led leaders like Quanah Parker to lead followers off the reservation to return to their traditional way of life in the old Comancheria. This began the conflict known as the Red River War of 1874-5. The Panhandle of Texas erupted into skirmishes and fighting with the climactic battle being at Palo Dura Canyon in September 1874. RanaId Mackenzie and his 4th Cavalry Troopers launched an attack on the Natives encampment and defeated the superior force. Casualties were light (3 Indians, 1 Anglo) but the capture and subsequent destruction of 1,400 Comanche ponies and the foodstuffs for the coming winter effectively ended the resistance. Some leaders, like Quanah Parker, remained on the loose but the conflict was effectively over. The soldiers from Fort McKavett that participated in that conflict were members of Cos. A & I of the 10th Infantry. As Infantry soldiers, they were primarily tasked with guarding baggage trains and supply camps while the mounted soldiers did the bulk of the fighting. Co. I was tasked with the job of shooting all the Comanche ponies that were not reused by the cavalry or Tonkawa scouts. Fort McKavett soldiers also participated in the cross-border engagements in Mexico with Mackenzie and William Rufus Shafter fighting Lipan Apache that were using the border as a safe haven.

 

The 1870's saw Fort McKavett reach its peak in size and modernization. During the Red River War, the garrison totaled nearly 600 soldiers. As troops from south Texas were gathering to march into the panhandle, Fort McKavett was used as a staging area. For several days in 1874, the population of Fort McKavett was over 2,000 people, mostly soldiers. During the decade, the 10th Infantry assisted in the installation of a military telegraph line that connected all Texas forts to the Headquarters at San Antonio and San Antonio to the rest of the country. The 10th Infantry and 10th Cavalry worked together to construct a road to Fort Stockton, which eventually became US Hwy. 190. The fort's buildings were expanded and there were even plans to install a plumbing system that would carry water automatically from the springs to the fort, saving the effort of daily water details. A modern hospital was built that showcased many features which highlight the advancement of medical science, and a schoolhouse was built for the benefit of uneducated soldiers and local children alike.

 

With the end of the Red River War, the Indian Wars in Texas were largely over. Soldiers at Fort McKavett became more of a constabulary/police force for the few remaining marauding Indians as well as outlaws that were characteristic of the "Old West". During this time, Texas Rangers and Fort McKavett soldiers worked closely and a Ranger Camp was established only a few miles from the Fort. The civilian settlement opposite Fort McKavett across the San Saba, officially Lehnesburg but known predominantly as Scabtown, was the scene of several shootouts that occasionally involved soldiers from the fort. Besides the constabulary duty, soldiers from Fort McKavett spent much of their time working on logistic tasks for the Army. The railroad had not yet crossed the entire state of Texas, therefore most Army supplies were still shipped by mule-drawn wagon. Fort McKavett and its several warehouses operated as a supply post from which forts further west, such as Concho and Davis, could draw supplies and save the Army money in freighting contracts.

 

In 1882, the Central Pacific and the Galveston, Harrisburg, & San Antonio Railroads joined one end of Texas to another near Langtry, Texas. Supplies could now be sent to within a few miles of their destination and the need for a supply post in Central Texas was ended. Fort McKavett was ordered abandoned and at noon on June 30, 1883 Co. D of the 16th Infantry, under the command of Captain H.A. Theaker, lowered the flag for the final time and marched away from Fort McKavett. The U.S. Army's use of the Post on the San Saba had ended.

 

Within hours of the Army's abandonment, a land auction was held on the now empty parade ground. The landowner who had leased the land to the Army for the entirety of Fort McKavett's existence, J.D. Robinson, had died several years previously. His widow, Eliza J. Robinson, had moved back to her parental home in Massachusetts with no intention of returning to Fort McKavett, or Texas at all. She hired agents to deal with the property. The land was divided up among the limestone buildings and sold off as individual properties. On July 1, 1883, the day after the Army abandoned it, the Town of Fort McKavett was founded. While it was never fully incorporated, the small country town grew to a reasonably large rural community. Citizens who had previous lived in dugout and stockade tents in Scabtown took the opportunity to purchase the well-built limestone structures that had wooden floors, glass windows, and locking doors. Some of the fort's buildings were wooden pre-fabricated structures known as Turnley cottages. Many of these were purchased by locals and moved to the ranch where the buyer lived. Buildings and homes began to pop up on the parade grounds and among the old fort's buildings. Fort McKavett would not suffer the fate of so many other Texas forts, that of dilapidation and ruin or that of cannibalization for building materials.

 

The primary industry in Menard County was agriculture, mostly ranching. Cattle was present but much more emphasis was placed on sheep and goat ranching. Unlike today, where most sheep and goats are raised for meat, these ranchers produced wool. The first person to bring wool sheep, merinos specifically, to the Fort McKavett area was Meliton Morales. He brought 2000 head of merino sheep to a ranch a few miles south of the fort in 1874 and sheep soon displaced cattle as the primary stock in the area. Merino sheep produce high quality wool that must be shorn on an annual basis. As sheep ranching grew, the need for local shearers grew as well. Fort McKavett became a town where many residents made a living as traveling workers going from ranch to ranch shearing sheep. Another pioneer in Fort McKavett livestock agriculture was Colonel William Leslie Black. A New York Cotton Exchange Merchant, Black purchased a ranch bordering Fort McKavett in 1876. He ran the ranch in abstentia for several years, allowing his ranch manager to handle the sheep and cattle there. In a letter from his ranch manager, Black learned that his Tejano ranch hands preferred the taste of goat meat to mutton. This, and the rising awareness and popularity of mohair produced from Angora goats, led Black to try and raise these Turkish goats as well. The industry took off and in 1884, Black and his family moved to Fort McKavett Ranch and worked it in person. Less than a decade later, his 12 original goats totaled over 8,000. He became an industry expert thanks to his contributions to scholarly agriculture journals and newspapers. In an attempt to turn another profit from his goats, he opened the Range Canning Company to sell canned roasted and boiled mutton. These products were not popular but a partnership with W.G. Tobin led the pair to market "Chili con Carne" using goat meat and other ingredients. This was moderately successful but ultimately Black ended the canning operation in 1896. In 1900, Black published A New Industry, or Raising the Angora Goat, and Mohair, for Profit which became the industry standard for half a century.

 

The town of Fort McKavett reached its peak population in the 1920's with over 250 residents. The Great Depression began its decline but the bottom fell out during the Drouth of 1950-7. During that time, many ranchers sold their livestock and got out of the industry entirely. With the reduction of sheep and goat ranching, the need for large shearing crews diminished. Families began leaving Fort McKavett for good. In 1964, history-minded citizens purchased the last remaining barracks building with the intent to found a historic site. The Fort McKavett Restoration Corporation was founded and the county donated the now unused schoolhouse (it remained in use after the Army left until it was consolidated with Menard ISD in 1954). After several years of trying to restore the buildings, the decision was made to donate the buildings to the state to take over management of the historic site in 1968. Over the next several years, the State of Texas purchased the properties that compromise the modern historic site in 37 different land transactions with only two cases in which eminent domain was declared. The site was under the management of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department until January 1, 2008 when it was transferred to the management of the Texas Historical Commission.

​