DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker at Fort Gates has to say — and friend, it's a story worth the stop. Now, picture Texas in the mid-1800s. The frontier line is a living, breathing thing — shifting westward, and not without conflict.
Native tribes met Anglo expansion with hostilities, and the families pushing into that vast unprotected stretch carved from the old Milam Land District, formerly Robertson's Colony, were exposed. Wide open and vulnerable. The U.S.
Army had a plan. They'd draw a line — a static line of outposts running from the Rio Grande all the way north to the Red River. A cordon of stockaded fortifications, one after another, meant to shield settlers from potential attack.
And at the end of that chain — the last one, the final link — came Fort Gates. October 26, 1849. The Army erected the post about five miles southeast of what is today Gatesville.
They named it for Maj. Collinson Reed Gates, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and an officer of the 4th U.S. Infantry.
Four companies of the 8th U.S. Infantry Regiment moved in and took up positions across the fort's seventeen buildings. Seventeen.
That's not a waystation — that's a settlement waiting to happen. And sure enough, it happened. Very soon after the garrison was established, many of the families in upper Milam County packed up and moved toward Fort Gates.
The post became the nucleus — the beating heart — for the settlement of the surrounding area. That's not a small thing. That's a community being born around a flagpole.
Fort Gates did its job. The threat of attacks from Native tribes was lessened. The primary objective, accomplished.
And when the Army decided the work was done, they transferred the garrison to Fort Phantom Hill up in Jones County in March of 1852, and officially closed Fort Gates in February of 1853. But here's where the story takes its turn, because a closed fort is not a dead place. In that same year of 1853, an early Fort Gates settler by the name of O.T.
Tyler began to organize something — a county government. Settlers convened. They signed a petition and sent it to the Texas House of Representatives.
And on February 4, 1854, Governor Elisha M. Pease put his name to the legislation that created Coryell County. Fort Gates served as the county seat.
Right up until May 27, 1854, when the county clerk transferred the archives to Gatesville — the new seat of government. The Army built it, the families filled it, the government grew from it, and then it handed the reins to Gatesville and stepped quietly off the stage. Fort Gates didn't just defend a frontier.
It started a county. Not a bad legacy for a post that was only supposed to be the last one in a line.
What the marker says
In the mid-1800s, Native tribes often met westward Anglo expansion in Texas with hostilities along the frontier line. To shield settlers form potential attack, the U.S. Army established a static line of outposts form the Rio Grande northward to the Red River. Few early settlements existed in this vast, unprotected area created from the Milam Land District (formerly Robertson's Colony). After the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Fort Gates, the last of a cordon of stockaded fortifications across Texas at the time, was established to defend area settlers. The U.S. Army erected the post, named for Mexican-American War veteran Maj. Collinson Reed Gates of the 4th U.S. Infantry, about five miles southeast of present day Gatesville on Oct. 26, 1849. Four companies of the 8th U.S. Infantry Regiment manned Fort Gates" 17 buildings. Very soon after the garrison was established, many of the families in upper Milam County moved here. As a result, the post served as the nucleus for the settlement of the surrounding area. The post ably performed in lessening the threat of attacks from Native tribes. With its primary objective accomplished, the U.S. Army transferred the garrison to Fort Phantom Hill (Jones County) in March 1852 and officially closed Fort Gates in February 1853. In 1853, O.T. Tyler, an early Fort Gates settler, began to organize a county government. Settlers convened and signed a petition to the Texas House of Representatives, and on February 4, 1854, Gov. Elisha M. Pease signed legislation creating Coryell County. Fort Gates served as the county seat until May 27, 1854, when the county clerk transferred archives to Gatesville, the new seat of government. (2006)