Fort Leaton | |
 Fort Leaton | |
  Fort Leaton  Fort Leaton | |
| Location | Presidio County, Texas |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Presidio, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°32′33″N 104°19′35″W / 29.54250°N 104.32639°W |
| Area | 23.4 acres (9.5 ha) |
| Built | 1848 |
| Built by | Benjamin Leaton |
| Website | tpwd |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001972[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1973 |
| Designated TSHS | December 8, 1967 |
The Fort Leaton State Historic Site is located on Farm to Market Road 170, in Presidio County in the U.S. state of Texas. The original adobe structure was a private residence dating back to the early 19th century. It was purchased in 1848 by Benjamin Leaton, who adapted it as a fortress. Fort Leaton was the Presidio County original seat of government. Through murders, financial difficulties and abandonment, the structure changed hands numerous times. In 1967, it was deeded to the state of Texas and opened to the public in 1978 as a Texas State Historic Site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Presidio County, Texas on June 18, 1973.
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Fort Leaton State Historic Site, Texas [Official]
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Maintaining Historic Adobe Plaster at Fort Leaton State Historic Site
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Repairing the Adobe Walls in the Presidio Officers' Club
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El Camino Del Rio ( River Road HWY 170 )
Transcription
[music] You can walk out here on a summer afternoon, walk through the rooms, hear the breeze go through the windows... It takes you back in time. Come on in here. This room was the living room when the Leatons lived here. The walls are 3 foot thick. full of adobe. It'll be about 70-75 degrees in here. Deep in Big Bend country, Fort Leaton State Historic Site has a past as rugged as the land around it. [music] Historians still debate the legends of this fort. It was believed to have been established in 1848 by Ben Leaton, one of the first 4 Anglo settlers in La Junta de Los Rios area where the Conchos river and the Rio Grande meets. [music] [sound of horse stampede] Ben Leaton, he was a scalp hunter. He sold scalps, Indian scalps, to the Mexican government and got paid very good money for that. [music] So basically Ben Leaton came, settled here and built his home over some existing ruins believed to have been an old Spanish garrison that was abandoned around 1810, and made it his home, residence, and trading post. Some people do believe that he acquired it illegally, that he pretty much just settled here and said 'this is mine.' A lot of it's unknown. [music] Fort Leaton became an important trading post on the Chihuahuan Trail that ran from the Texas coast to Mexico. Military exploreres, traders, and California gold miners all passed through these walls. At the fort's peak, about 100 people worked on the site. [train] In the 1880s, the railroad bypassed Fort Leaton and the site fell into disrepair. TX Parks & Wildlife acquired the property in 1967 and began restoration. It took over 80,000 adobes to be able to rebuild Fort Leaton the old traditional way. [music] Fort Leaton keeps tradition alive through its annual Posada celebration and other living history workshops. [music] Time is slower in the Big Bend area and it makes you feel as if you're back in time in the 1800s If you really want a history lesson, Fort Leaton's the place to come.
History
Fort Leaton is believed to have been built as an adobe residence in the 1830s by Juan Bustillos. In 1848, it was acquired by Benjamin Leaton, who lived in the structure and also used it as his trading post and fortress.[2]
Benjamin Leaton was a trader, freight hauler along the Chihuahua Trail, and a bounty hunter paid by various local governments in Mexico for each scalp taken from an indigenous person. He also traded munitions to the Apache and Comanche for any stolen cattle they brought him.[3] When Presidio County was established in 1850, Fort Leaton was its first seat of government.[4] Leaton died in 1851,[5] and his widow married Edward Hall who continued operating the freight business from the fort. Hall became financially indebted to Leaton's scalp hunting partner John Burgess. Hall defaulted on his debt to Burgess in 1864, and was murdered. Burgess took over the fort, and was in turn murdered by Leaton's son in 1875. The Burgess family remained in the fort until they abandoned it in 1926.[6] The fort was purchased by Marfa State Bank and a private citizen in the 1930s and donated to Presidio County. An attempt at restoration was begun, but adequate financing never materialized. The site was then purchased by a private citizen and donated to the state of Texas. In 1968, the site was designated Fort Leaton State Historic Site.[2] It opened to the public in 1978.[7]
Fort Leaton was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Presidio County, Texas on June 18, 1973.[8]
Facilities
Fort Leaton State Historic Site is on Farm to Market Road 170, 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Presidio, Texas.[7]
The site contains historic ruins, nature trails, and exhibits. There is a picnic area and public restrooms. The Texas State Park Store gift shop is located on the grounds.[7]
The Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center serves as the visitor center for both Ft. Leaton State Historic Site and Big Bend Ranch State Park.[9]
Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi) is available in some areas of this site.[10]
Hours, admission
Fort Leaton is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 7 days a week, but closed on Christmas Day.[7]
Entrance fee applies. Special event rental fees by prior arrangement. Guided tours are available for an additional fee. Group tours need to be coordinated in advance with the Park.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Smith, Julia Cauble. "Ft. Leaton State Historic Site". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ Laine, Don; Laine, Barbara; Olson, Jack; Peterson, Eric; Christensen, Shane (2010). Frommer's National Parks of the American West. Frommer's. pp. 50, 51. ISBN 978-0-470-53767-1.
- ^ Smith, Julia Cauble. "Presidio County". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ Field, Ron; Hook, Adam (2006). Forts of the American Frontier 1820–91: The Southern Plains and Southwest. Osprey Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-84603-040-6.
- ^ Parent, Laurence (2008). Official Guide to Texas State Parks and Historic Sites: Revised Edition. University of Texas Press. pp. xxviii, xxix. ISBN 978-0-292-71726-8.
- ^ a b c d e "Fort Leaton State Historic Site". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ "NRHP Ft Leaton". Texas Historical Association. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ "Barton Warnock Visitor Center". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ "TPWD Wi-Fi Access". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
External links
| Authority control databases: National |
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This page was last edited on 7 July 2023, at 16:25