Fort Leaton State Historic Site

Last updated
Fort Leaton
A portion of Fort Leaton, a Texas State Historic Site, on the edge of Presidio, along the Rio Grande River in Brewster County, Texas LCCN2014630294.tif
Fort Leaton
Relief map of Texas.png
Red pog.svg
Fort Leaton
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Fort Leaton
Location Presidio County, Texas
Nearest city Presidio, Texas
Coordinates 29°32′33″N104°19′35″W / 29.54250°N 104.32639°W / 29.54250; -104.32639
Area23.4 acres (9.5 ha)
Built1848
Built byBenjamin Leaton
Website tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/fort-leaton
NRHP reference No. 73001972 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1973
Designated TSHSDecember 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.

Contents

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidio County, Texas</span> County in Texas, United States

Presidio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is Marfa. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1875. Presidio County is in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and is named for the border settlement of Presidio del Norte. It is on the Rio Grande, which forms the Mexican border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidio, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It is situated on the Rio Grande River, on the opposite side of the U.S.–Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The name originates from Spanish and means "fortress". The population was 4,169 at the 2000 census, and had increased to 4,426 as of the 2010 US census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hueco Tanks</span> United States historic place

Hueco Tanks is an area of low mountains and historic site in El Paso County, Texas, in the United States. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the boulders and rock faces throughout the region. Due to the unique concentration of historic artifacts, plants and wildlife, the site is under protection of Texas law; it is a crime to remove, alter, or destroy them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidio of Santa Barbara</span> United States historic place

El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, is a former military installation in Santa Barbara, California, United States. The presidio was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California. In modern times, the Presidio serves as a significant tourist attraction, museum and an active archaeological site as part of El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Parks and Wildlife Department</span> Texas state agency

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Richardson (Texas)</span> State park and historic site in Texas, United States

Fort Richardson was a United States Army installation located in present-day Jacksboro, Texas. Named in honor of Union General Israel B. Richardson, who died in the Battle of Antietam during the American Civil War, it was active from 1867 to 1878. Today, the site, with a few surviving buildings, is called Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 for its role in securing the state's northern frontier in the post-Civil War era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magoffin Homestead</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

Magoffin Home is located in El Paso, Texas. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The surrounding area was declared the Magoffin Historic District on February 19, 1985. The home is now known as the Magoffin Home State Historic Site under the authority of the Texas Historical Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farm to Market Road 170</span>

Farm to Market Road 170 is a 114.6-mile (184.4 km) highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in Presidio and Brewster counties in Texas. The route, known locally as the River Road, runs along the United States side of the Rio Grande which in Texas forms the international boundary between the U.S. and Mexico. The road runs from Candelaria through the city of Presidio as well as several smaller communities and former settlements to State Highway 118 in Study Butte near Big Bend National Park. The road also passes through the southern portion of Big Bend Ranch State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shafter, Texas</span> Ghost town in Texas, United States

Shafter is a ghost town in Presidio County, Texas. The Texas Attorney General's Office gives a population of 11 as of the 2000 Census. It was named in honor of General William R. Shafter, who at one point commanded the nearby Fort Davis. As of 2012, at least one silver mine, La Mina Grande, has been reopened by Aurcana Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bend Ranch State Park</span> State park in Texas, United States

Big Bend Ranch State Park is a 311,000-acre (126,000 ha) state park located on the Rio Grande in Brewster and Presidio counties, Texas. It is the largest state park in Texas. The closest major town is Presidio, Texas. The state park's head office is located in Lajitas, Texas at the Barton Warnock Visitor Center. It includes Colorado Canyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lancaster</span> United States historic place

Fort Lancaster is a former United States Army installation located near Sheffield, Texas. The fort was established in 1855 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road to protect migrants moving toward California through Texas. The US Army occupied Fort Lancaster until Texas seceded from the United States in March 1861 and were replaced at the fort by forces loyal to the Confederate States of America. The Confederate Army held the fort from November 1861 until April 1862, when it was again abandoned and then burned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landmark Inn State Historic Site</span> United States historic place

The Landmark Inn State Historic Site is a historic inn in Castroville, Texas, United States. It serves the general public as both a state historic site and a bed & breakfast with eight overnight rooms.

Milton Faver was a pioneering cattle rancher in Presidio County, Texas, the preeminent cattle baron of the Big Bend in the nineteenth century, and one of the most important individual contributors to Big Bend history. Also known in his time by the honorary title, don Melitón, he founded Cibolo Creek Ranch halfway between Marfa and Presidio, Texas in 1857. He was one of the earliest Texas trail drivers, driving his cattle to market in New Orleans in the 1850s and to other markets later. Although his birthplace is not known with certainty, he was most likely born and raised in Missouri around 1822. Local lore contends that, while in his teens, he fought a duel and fled south, believing he had killed his opponent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga</span>

Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga, also known as Aranama Mission or Mission La Bahía, was a Roman Catholic mission established by Spain in 1722 in the Viceroyalty of New Spain—to convert native Karankawa Indians to Christianity. Together with its nearby military fortress, Presidio La Bahía, the mission upheld Spanish territorial claims in the New World against encroachment from France. The third and final location near Goliad, Texas is maintained now as part of Goliad State Park and Historic Site

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site</span> State park in Texas, United States

Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site is a state park in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located off U.S. Route 90, east of the Pecos River High Bridge, 9 miles (14 km) west of Comstock in Val Verde County. The park is conducive to camping, biking, bird watching, back packing and archeological study. Cave art and archeological artifacts date back to the earliest human habitation in the area. The park is part of the larger Seminole Canyon Archeological District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaragoza Birthplace State Historic Site</span>

The Zaragoza Birthplace State Historic Park is located adjacent to Presidio La Bahía in Goliad State Park and Historic Site, Goliad County in the U.S. state of Texas. An amphitheater and bronze statue of Ignacio Zaragoza are also on the grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park</span> Texas state park

Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is located at 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive south of the city of Mission in Hidalgo County in the U.S. state of Texas. It serves as the headquarters for the World Birding Center.

Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area is a natural bat habitat near the city of Rocksprings in Edwards County in the U.S. state of Texas. Carved by water erosion, the cavern is home to several million Mexican free-tailed bats that emerge at sunset during April through October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidio Chapel of San Elizario</span> United States historic place

The Presidio Chapel of San Elizario was built in 1877 at the same place where an earlier Mexican chapel stood. The building is located in the central square of San Elizario, 17.5 miles south-southeast of El Paso. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It is an example of the Spanish Colonial style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cibolo Creek Ranch</span> Historic place in Texas, US

Cibolo Creek Ranch is a historic place in Presidio County, Texas, United States. Established as a cattle ranch prior to the Civil War, it has been used in modern times for hunting and a shooting location for the movie industry. It includes a fort called El Fortin del Cibolo which has been renovated as a luxury hotel featuring watchtowers and three-foot-thick adobe walls.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Julia Cauble. "Ft. Leaton State Historic Site". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  3. 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.
  4. Smith, Julia Cauble. "Presidio County". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  5. 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.
  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.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Fort Leaton State Historic Site". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  8. "NRHP Ft Leaton". Texas Historical Association. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  9. "Barton Warnock Visitor Center". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  10. "TPWD Wi-Fi Access". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 8 February 2012.