DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one passing it along. Now, out here in Crockett County, if you know where to look — and most folks driving past don't — there's a stretch of land that still carries the weight of a harder time. One-fourth mile north of this very spot sit the ruins of Fort Lancaster.
Not much left standing. But what's left has earned its quiet. The United States government established Fort Lancaster on August 20, 1855, set down one half-mile above the junction of Live Oak Creek with the Pecos River.
The thinking was simple enough: this part of Texas was wild country, and there was mail to move and travelers to protect on the overland route running from San Antonio all the way to San Diego — a haul that would test a person's faith in just about everything. The U.S. Second Cavalry drew that assignment, garrisoning the fort and riding out to keep the San Antonio–El Paso military road from swallowing people whole.
For a few years, Fort Lancaster did its job. Then came the kind of event that reshapes every institution it touches. Texas seceded from the Union, and on March 19, 1861, the fort was abandoned.
Just like that — soldiers gone, walls left to the wind and the Pecos sun. Seven years passed. Then federal troops came back in 1868, reoccupied the place for a short time, and were gone again.
The land kept what the army left behind. Now here's a detail that tends to stop people cold. Down at the Pecos River, just south of the Highway 290 bridge, sits one of the most used pioneer fords in all of Texas.
And if you walk to the edge of that hill today, you can still see the ruts — deep grooves carved into the earth by wagon wheels sliding down toward the water. Hundreds of wagons. Thousands of miles of journey, concentrated in those cuts in the ground.
The state of Texas had this marker erected in 1936, and the story was updated in 1966. But those ruts were there long before any marker, and they'll outlast the telling. Some roads leave a mark that time just decides to keep.
What the marker says
[1936 inscription] One-Fourth Mile North to Ruins of Fort Lancaster. Established in 1855 by the United States government as a protection to travelers and mail on the overland route from San Antonio to San Diego. Abandoned in 1861. Reoccupied in 1868 for a short time. Erected by the State of Texas 1936. [1966 inscription] Ruins of Fort Lancaster. Established August 20, 1855 by United States government, one half-mile above the junction of Live Oak Creek with the Pecos River in present Crockett County. Garrisoned by U.S. Second Cavalry, who protected travelers and mail on the San Antonio-El Paso military road. Fort was abandoned March 19,1861, after Texas seceded from the Union. Reoccupied by federal troops, 1868, for a short time. At Pecos River, just south of Hwy. 290 river bridge, is one of most used Texas pioneer fords. Ruts made by wagon wheels sliding down hill are plainly visible. (1966)