Fort Davis

The CCC-built Indian Lodge in the Davis Mountains State Park

The only shower at this campground is the one farthest away from our campsite. The one 75 yards away from us is closed for unknown and mysterious reasons. To shower, I have to either ride my bike or drive. Since it was only 40 degrees Sunday morning, I elected to drive.

Showers completed, we drove ten minutes down the road to Ft. Davis and went to St. Joseph for Mass. It is a mission style church, with simple adornments. Over half of the congregation is Spanish and all were friendly. One thing I noticed was how thin the pews were, only about three quarters of an inch thick. About eight years ago, the church undertook a centennial renovation. In the back of the church there were some cases displaying pre-Vatican II vestments (elaborately decorated on the back since that is the part of the priest the congregation saw), old chalices, prayer books and other religious articles.



After Mass we dined at the Black Bear Restaurant attached to the Indian Lodge here in the State Park. The lodge was built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the 30s and opened in 1939. It’s a beautiful building. Lunch was the Sunday buffet: fried chicken, cheesy scalloped potatoes, fried okra and mushrooms, a salad buffet, and of course jell-o salad! We filled ourselves with as much fried food as we could and then headed to Ft. Davis National Historical Site.


The back porch of the commanding officer’s quarters

Ft. Davis (named after then Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis) was occupied from 1854 until 1891 with a brief interruption during the Civil War. Its main purpose was to protect emigrants, freighters, mail coaches, and travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road. During the Gold Rush, this road (which actually went all the way to San Diego) was the only one open year-round. The northern routes would get blocked by snow. Apache and Comanche bands would harass and attack the travelers. The government was called upon to protect the citizens, and Ft. Davis was established.


The row of officers’ quarters, with a view

It is a well-preserved frontier military post. We were able to see restored officers’ living quarters, enlisted men’s barracks, kitchens, the hospital, and several ruins. The fort was actually built twice. The original fort consisted of wood and thatch buildings on stone foundations. Interestingly, some of these foundations remain (while some were cannibalized for use in the new fort). The old foundations form a line at a different angle than the rows of newer buildings. Why? The old buildings are aligned to true north and the newer are aligned with magnetic north. No one knows exactly why, but one of the rangers theorized that it was done out of convenience to distinguish between the old and new foundations.


One of the artifacts Elise found

Elise, the archeologist, found her first true artifacts here. All over the grounds there are pottery shards, pieces of glass and old square-headed nails. She discovered a beautiful piece of what she thinks was a plate, and ran to tell the rangers. She was disappointed they didn’t want to collect the shard and thought it should be preserved. Walking around more, though, helped her realize that there are so many of these pieces that they could never all be collected and she was more at peace with the rangers!



In the late afternoon I sat outside with Elise while she played on the picnic table with her stuffed animals. Three does and a buck waltzed up and hung around us for about ten minutes. One doe sniffed Elise’s animals. They obviously have been fed before and are a little too tame. It made for an interesting visit though!