DUANE
Get the App
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker at Fort Clark tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, if you want a place that saw just about everything the American West could throw at it: bandits, Indian campaigns, two world wars, and winters that would make a man question his life choices, pull up a little closer to this fire, because Fort Clark has a story that stretches nearly a century. It started in June of 1852.
The United States Army planted its flag here and called the place Fort Clark, named for Major J. B. Clark, who had already given everything in the Mexican War.
From the very beginning, this post had a serious job: guard the California road, keep back the outlaws, and rebuff the Indians who had no intention of making any of that easy. Now, the Army being the Army, somebody back East issued clothing for these soldiers. Clothing that proved, shall we say, optimistic; far too warm for a Texas summer out here in Kinney County.
And the buildings, well, they swung the other direction entirely, staying cold enough in winter to remind a man of his sins until somebody finally got around to building chimneys in 1856. Four years. Four winters.
But they got there. The troops out of Fort Clark were not idle. They routed Indians all the way to the mouth of the Pecos River.
And in 1859, they helped expel the bandit Cortinas from Brownsville, a name that would have made anybody in Texas at that time sit up straight. Then came 1861. Texas seceded, and the Union gave up Fort Clark.
Just walked away from it. But the Union came back in 1866, re-occupied the post, and got back to the business of holding the frontier. They brought in a Seminole Scout Company to help, and an Indian reservation was established near the post as well.
Here's a line that I find particularly telling. Duty at Fort Clark in the decade after the Civil War was said to be equivalent to honorable mention. Not glory.
Not a hero's welcome. Honorable mention. That is a very specific kind of hard.
Practically every U.S. Cavalry regiment that ever existed served here at one point or another. The 5th Cavalry put in a particularly long stretch: 1920 all the way through 1941.
And then the world caught fire again, and Fort Clark found itself training the 2nd and 11th Cavalry for World War II. On February 9th, 1946, after nearly a full century of service, the post was inactivated. Nearly a hundred years of guarding roads, chasing bandits, enduring bad clothing and cold buildings, fighting across two world wars, and then, quiet.
Fort Clark stood down. Some places earn their rest.
What the marker says
1852-1946 Founded June, 1852. Guarded California road, rebuffed Indians, outlaws. Named for Maj. J. B. Clark, killed in Mexican War. Companies of infantry, artillery, cavalry stationed here. Clothing issued proved too warm for summer. Buildings were too cold for winter until chimneys were built in 1856. Troops routed Indians to Pecos River mouth, helped expel bandit Cortinas from Brownsville, 1859 Union gave up Clark, 1861, after Texas seceded -- re- occupied it 1866. Used Seminole Scout Company. Indian reservation established near post. Duty here, decade after Civil War, was said to be equivalent to honorable mention. Practically all U.S. Cavalry regiments served here. 5th Cavalry served 1920-41. In World War II, 2nd and 11th Cavalry trained here. Post inactivated Feb. 9, 1946. Erected by the State of Texas 1963