DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. On September 6, 1876, the United States Army planted a post right here in this stretch of Southwest Texas. They called it Camp San Felipe to start — an outpost of Fort Clark, sitting twenty-eight miles to the east, part of a whole chain of military fortifications strung across the frontier like a fence nobody was quite sure would hold.
General E. O. C.
Ord, Commander of the Department of Texas, was the man who ordered it into existence. His concern was the border. Raiding parties of Indians from Mexico were crossing into Texas, moving along the Pecos and Devil's Rivers, securing horses as they went.
Camp San Felipe was meant to be the answer to that problem. Now, 1880 rolls around, and something interesting happens. The San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing and Irrigation Company — and yes, that is the full name, say it fast if you dare — donated land right here at this site to the United States Government for use as a military reservation.
The original shareholders of that company had founded the town of Del Rio, and so the camp got a new name to match. Camp Del Rio. The grounds here were no small affair.
Officers' quarters, a hospital, a bakery, a quartermaster's storehouse, barracks — the Army had set up a real operation. Then came the wrinkle. Somebody looked at the surveys a little closer and discovered that some of those structures had been built on private property.
The Army did what it had to do and leased the additional land from the owners. By 1890, the Indian raids in the area had ended. The troops were moved to other posts.
And the very next year, Camp Del Rio was officially abandoned. The land was later transferred back to the original owners. The chain of frontier fortifications had done its work, the threat had passed, and the Army moved on — leaving behind nothing but the story, and this marker to tell it.
What the marker says
A United State Army post was established in this area on September 6, 1876. Originally known as Camp San Felipe, it was an outpost of Fort Clark (28 mile E), one of a chain of military fortifications constructed to defend isolated settlements of the Southwest Texas frontier. General E. O. C. Ord, Commander of the department of Texas, created the camp to protect the border area from raiding parties of Indians in Mexico who entered Texas to secure horses along the Pecos and Devil's Rivers. In 1880 the San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing and Irrigation Company donated land at this site to the United State Government for use as a military reservation. Since the original shareholders of the firm had founded the town of Del Rio, the camp name was changed. The grounds here included officers' quarters, a hospital, bakery, quartermaster's storehouse, and barracks. Later, when it was discovered some of the structures had been built on private property, additional land was leased from the owners. Indians raids in the area had ended by 1890 and the troops were moved to other posts. Camp Del Rio was officially abandoned the next year and the land was later transferred back to the original owners. (1980)