Cenizo Journal Spring 2015 | Page 23

Fort Lancaster by Bob Miles BIGGEST SELECTION West of the Pecos Open 10am to 9pm Mon - Sat 432.837.7476 605 E Holland Ave • Alpine www.twinpeaksliquors.com Quilts Etc. by Marguerite Made in the Big Bend HWY 118 • Terlingua 1/4 mile N of HWY 170 432.371.2292 Needleworks, Etc. Ladies Fine Clothing Texas Historical Commission Fort Lancaster was established in 1855 by the United States government as a protection to travelers and mail on the Overland route from San Antonio to San Diego.  It was abandoned in 1861 and reoccupied in 1866 for a short time. A few miles east of the little town of Sheffield on State Highway 290 lies Fort Lancaster State Park.  Currently admin- istered by the Texas Historical Commission, the  82-acre historic site preserves the ruins of the fort and interprets the frontier military post that helped protect commerce and travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso road. The mid-1800s were important years for the United States and especially for Far West Texas.  The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War in 1848, adding some million square miles of land in the Southwest and California to the United States and finally establishing the Texas border at the Rio Grande.  When the news of the discovery of gold in California reached the east, hordes of gold seekers headed west across the new, large- ly unexplored territory. Native tribes objected to this invasion of their homelands, creating addi- tional problems for the Army which had a treaty obligation to keep the Indian tribes from raiding into Mexico. In response to these problems. a string of mil- itary forts was established along what became known as the Lower or Military Road between San Antonio and El Paso.  Camp Lancaster was established on August 29, l855, on Live Oak Creek near the Pecos River crossing.  The post was manned by 104 men of Companies H and K of the First Infantry under the command of Captain Stephen Carpenter and two second lieutenants. In addition to patrolling the Lower Road between Fort Clark and Fort Davis and protect- ing travelers, the troops set about building living quarters and other needed structures.  The first living quarters for the men were mostly primi- tive jacales –vertical pickets or planks set into the ground and roofed with grass thatch or canvas. Four adobe officer’s quarters were constructed and the quartermaster and commissary stores were built with stone walls.  The bakery, car- penter shop, hospital and several other build- ings were also built of adobe. All were roofed with thatch or canvas. There were also several Turnley Portable Buildings erected on the post. These were an early prefabricated structure. These unassembled buildings could be trans- ported by wagon and assembled in a matter of hours, complete with asphalt covered panels for roofs. Once the troops had continued on page 27 Cenizo Peggy Walker, Owner Flax ˜ Brighton ˜ Tribal ˜ Double D And other speciality brands 121 West Holland • Alpine • 432/837-3085 120 South Cedar • Pecos • 432/445-9313 M-F 10 am ‘til 6 pm • Sat. 10 am ‘til 4 pm El Patio Authentic Mexican Food Enchiladas • Fajitas Tacos • Burritos 8am - 7pm Mon. thru Sat. 203 S. 5th St. Taste and See Bakery Thursdays 4 - 6pm • Organic spelt, hard white wheat berries. • Rye and kamut freshly milled in my stone burr mill and baked into delicious breads, pizza crusts, cookies and other goodies. • Stone ground flour milled to order for home bakers. We use no white flour or white sugar in our products us on Facebook (Murphy St) Alpine Food trailer behind the Murphy Street Raspa Company 802 E. Brown St. and Cockrell Alpine 23 432-386-3772 Second Quarter 2015 gingerhillery@mac.com