A New Addition At The Old Fort
Story by Bob Miles. Photos by Max Kandler.
T
he Fort Davis National Historic
Site held the grand opening of its
new visitor center and museum
on August 30. Permits, information,
books and souvenirs may be obtained in
the visitor center. The museum tells the
history of the fort and Davis Mountain
area with many informative and colorful
16
Cenizo
exhibits. At the entrance are replicas of
the trees with Indian pictographs which
gave the fort location its early name of
Painted Comanche Camp.
As the visitor moves on, exhibits
explain the need for the fort to protect
travelers along the newly established
San Antonio–El Paso road, many on
First Quarter 2015
their way to the California gold fields.
One display shows the construction of
the first green pine and thatched build-
ings, along with tools used. Apache,
Comanche and Kiowa artifacts are
shown in other displays, and the roles of
the tribes the soldiers dealt with are
explained. A partial full-size stage coach
illustrates commercial travel along the
road. (Look closely at the passengers
and you may recognize a member of the
park staff or a volunteer!)
Artifacts, colorful dioramas, informa-
tive labels and mannequins all are used
to help tell the
history of the continued on page 18