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Fort Clark established at Las Moras Springs
On this day in 1852 Fort Clark was established at Las Moras Springs in
Kinney County. Originally named Fort Riley, the post was renamed in honor
of Major John B. Clark, a deceased officer who had served in the Mexican
War. Fort Clark was the southern anchor of the line of frontier forts
protecting the western frontier. The land was leased from Samuel Maverick.
Oscar Brackett established a supply village for the fort at Las Moras,
later called Brackettville. The fort and the town are still closely
identified. In 1884 Mary Maverick was paid $80,000 for the 3,965-acre
tract. From 1872 until 1914 the fort was the home of the Black Seminole
scouts and the Fourth United States Cavalry. Later Fort Clark was the
garrison for the Tenth United State Cavalry and the Twenty-fourth and
Twenty-fifth United States Infantry regiments. These units were mounted
regiments of black soldiers, known as "buffalo soldiers." From 1920 to
1941 Fort Clark was home to the Fifth Cavalry. In 1938 Col. George S.
Patton was regimental commander. In June 1944, after full mechanization of
the cavalry, Fort Clark, one of the last horse-cavalry posts in the
country, was ordered closed. In 1971 the property was purchased by North
American Towns of Texas and turned into a private recreation and
retirement community.
- Links to Related Handbook of Texas Online Articles
- FORT CLARK
- BLACK SEMINOLE SCOUTS
- BUFFALO SOLDIERS
- MAVERICK, SAMUEL AUGUSTUS
- MAVERICK, MARY ANN ADAMS
- BRACKETTVILLE, TX
- Other Texas Day by Day Articles for This Date
- Feudists intensify conflict by lynching (1874)
- Texas senator delivers speech against martial law (1870)
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