Fort Davis National Historic Site is a United States national historic site located in the unincorporated community of Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas. Located within the Davis Mountains of West Texas, the historic site was established in 1961 to protect one of the best remaining examples of a United States Army fort in the southwestern United States.

History

Established in October 1854 along the Limpia Creek at Painted Comanche Camp by Bvt. Maj. Gen. Persifor Frazer Smith, Fort Davis was named after Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of War, and later the President of the Confederate States of America. "Hoping to protect the garrison from winter northers, Smith tucked the fort into a canyon flanked on three sides by sheer rock walls." "Sub posts or intermediate stations" also were used, including Bothwick's Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap, Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station, and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin.

From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and the Chihuahua Trail, and to control activities on the southern stem of the Great Comanche and Mescalero Apache war trails.

The fort was evacuated in April 1861 under orders from General David E. Twiggs are part of Fort Davis National Historic Site. Five of the historic buildings have been refurbished to the 1880s, making it envisioning themselves being at the fort at the height of its development easy for visitors. A self-guided tour of the fort begins at the site's visitor center. Living history demonstrations are common during the summer.

Fort Davis National Historic Site was authorized as a unit of the National Park System in 1961, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

A memorial at Fort Davis honors the heroism of Indian Emily, the fictional subject of a popular legend. Actress Jolene Brand portrayed "Indian Emily", who saved the fort from an Apache attack, in the 1959 episode of the same name on the syndicated television anthology series Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. Emily adopts the white man's ways, but flees when a young officer, Tom Easton (Burt Metcalfe), whom she loves, prepares to marry another. She returns to warn the fort of a pending Apache attack, but dies of a gunshot wound fired in error. Meg Wyllie played Tom's compassionate mother, Mrs. Easton.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="3">

Image:EntrancetoFortDavisnationalHistoricSite.JPG|Main entrance to the Fort Davis National Historic Site

Image:EntrancetoFortDavisNationalHistoricSiteFromDavisMountainsStatePark.JPG|Entrance to the Fort Davis National Historic Site from the Davis Mountains State Park

File:FortDavisCampaignMap.jpg |Fort Davis campaign map<br/>A hand-drawn military map from the 1880 campaign against Victorio and his Chiricahua Apaches, image from the Special Collections of The University of Texas at Arlington Library

</gallery>

thumb|center|700px|Fort Davis drill ground

See also

  • Forts of Texas
  • Henry Flipper
  • William Rufus Shafter
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Jeff Davis County, Texas
  • List of National Historic Landmarks in Texas

References