Fort Richardson | |
 Looking across Fort Richardson's parade ground toward thehospital. Thebakery,guardhouse andmagazine are visible in the background. | |
  Fort Richardson  Fort Richardson | |
| Nearest city | Jacksboro, Texas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°12′29″N98°9′53″W / 33.20806°N 98.16472°W /33.20806; -98.16472 |
| Area | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| Built | 1867 (1867) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000816[1] |
| TSAL No. | 8200000387 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 27, 1963[3] |
| Designated TSHS | 1968[2] |
| Designated TSAL | January 1, 1983 |
Fort Richardson was aUnited States Army installation located in present-dayJacksboro, Texas. Named in honor of Union GeneralIsrael B. Richardson, who died in theBattle of Antietam[4] during theAmerican Civil War, it was active from 1867 to 1878. Today, the site, with a few surviving buildings, is calledFort Richardson State Park, Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway. It was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1963 for its role in securing the state's northern frontier in the post-Civil War era.[5]
As much as any frontier army installation, Fort Richardson facilitated white immigration and settlement in north-centralTexas. It was part of a system offorts along the Texas frontier to protect and encourage settlement in north-central andWest Texas. Others included FortsGriffin,Concho,Belknap,Chadbourne,Stockton,Davis,McKavett,Clark,McIntosh,Inge, andPhantom Hill in Texas, andFort Sill inOklahoma.[4] Some "subposts or intermediate stations" include Bothwick's Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap, Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson andRed River Station, and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin.[6]
The originalsite selection was ordered for a location nearBuffalo Springs inClay County, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Fort Richardson. The location proved untenable and unfit for a semipermanent installation. The area lacked timber and adequate water resources, and the U.S. considered it "hostile" territory, withNative Americans often raiding the area. In 1862, an entire town,Henrietta, northwest of Buffalo Springs, was abandoned due to lack of security. As a result, theU.S. 6th Cavalry Regiment moved south to the present location of Fort Richardson.
In 1867, construction began by the 6th Cavalry on the 300-acre (120 ha) site along "Lost Creek, a small tributary of the West Fork of theTrinity River",[4] at a cost of $800,000, and occupied on 26 November. It became the anchor of the frontier fort system, and the last army outpost inNorth Texas along the military road to Fort Sill. "Originally a five-company post, it was expanded...to accommodate ten or more companies"[4] so that in 1872, with a population of 666 officers and men, it was listed as the largest U.S. Army installation in the United States.[7] Old-time cowboy authorFrank H. Maynard spent time at Fort Richardson in 1872 when he had come to Jacksboro on a cattle drive.[8]
Units that occupied the fort included the 6th Cavalry Regiment, the4th Cavalry Regiment, and the U.S. 11th Infantry Regiment, along with parts of the10th Cavalry Regiment and24th Infantry Regiment (United States), bothBuffalo Soldier regiments.[7]
Life was hard for a soldier at Fort Richardson. Routine duties included long, arduous patrols along the frontier from Clay andJack Counties west toPalo Duro Canyon near present-dayAmarillo. Battles withComanche andKiowa became commonplace as the U.S. cavalry and infantry units sought to prove their ability to repel attacks and facilitate white settlement.
In 1871 while touring the system, GeneralWilliam T. Sherman stayed at Fort Richardson and narrowly missed theWarren Wagon Train Raid. General Sherman arrived at Fort Sill and arrested Kiowa chiefsSatanta and Big Tree, and had them sent to Jacksboro to standtrial for their role in the massacre. In July 1871, they were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life in prison. They were the firstNative Americans tried and convicted in a Texas civil court system.
Following these events, General Sherman authorized the commander of the 4th Cavalry, ColonelRanald S. Mackenzie, to begin offensive operations against the Comanche and Kiowa in theTexas Panhandle. One scouting party fought in theBattle of Palo Duro Canyon in September 1874, a U.S. victory that ended theRed River War withQuanah Parker's Comanches andRed Warbonnet's Kiowas. The cavalry captured so much of the tribes' provisions that they were forced to move back to reservations in Oklahoma before winter. This battle was largely responsible for the end to Comanche and Kiowa raids along the northern frontier between Oklahoma and Texas.
After its victory, the army saw no need to maintain Fort Richardson, so abandoned the post on May 23, 1878.[4] "It was used as an Indian school for a short time afterwards".[4] The 55 buildings, many made of stone and cottonwood lumber, fell into disrepair. Thanks to a group of Jacksboro residents, the fort was declared a state historic site in 1963 and came under the management of theTexas Parks and Wildlife Department. In 1968, extensive renovations began, and in 1973, it reopened as Fort Richardson State Historic Park.
Today, it is called Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway.[9] Visitors can tour seven restored original buildings, including the post hospital, officers' quarters,powder magazine,morgue,commissary,guardhouse, and bakery. Two replica buildings of the enlisted men'sbarracks and the officer's barracks house the Interpretive Center. Guided tours of the buildings are held daily.[10]
Municipalities and communities ofJack County, Texas,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
