FORT DAVIS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Fort Davis National Historic Site is the big attraction in the area, where an entire park has been laid out to showcase the history of the site. The fort was built by the U.S. Army in the heart of the Davis Range in 1854. Soon after, dozens of entrepreneurs set up store on the site. The post was an essential surveillance point for stabilizing the region and protecting gold seekers and all American citizens who set out on the San Antonio-El Paso highway to try their luck further west. At the time, the Apache and Comanche Indians were not at all happy with this situation. Conflicts between native peoples and settlers abounded. Abandoned during the Civil War (1861-1865), the fort was recommissioned in 1867 and became the headquarters of the Buffalo Soldiers regiments, the black soldiers who fought with the Unionist troops during the Civil War. It remained open until 1891, with the advent of the railroad. Since then, Fort Davis has been no more than a meeting place for many local farmers, and a few visitors seeking rest and history. All that remains today are ruins and a few renovated walls. But the museum recreates the atmosphere of a military fort of that era. The main attractions are the hiking trails and the museum.