Fort Richardson & Lost Creek ReservoirInterpretive Guide |
Interpretive Guide to Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site (SP) & Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway in Texas. Published by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
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LOST CREEK TRAIL
INTERPRETIVE GUIDE
In 1936, the Texas Centennial Commission purchased the surviving
fort buildings and surrounding 41 acres. The site was turned over to
the City of Jacksboro and the Jack County Historical Society to
maintain. Fort Richardson became a National Historic Landmark
in 1964. Five years later, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
assumed operation of the post. Today the park offers over 70
campsites, multiple hiking trails, a swimming beach, and more!
FORT
RICHARDSON
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department works to preserve
this historic site while maintaining and interpreting the frontier
character of this Texas fort. You have a part to play in assuring this
cultural and natural resource endures. Do not remove artifacts from
the park and help preserve natural surroundings by staying on trails
and throwing away trash.
STATE PARK
AND
HISTORIC
SITE
THE RED RIVER FRONTIER AND THE
TEXAS PANHANDLE WERE WILD,
FURTHER READING
UNCERTAIN PLACES IN THE EARLY
Sentinel of the Southern Plains: Fort Richardson and the Northwest
Texas Frontier by Allen Lee Hamilton, Texas Christian University
Press, 1988.
1870S. NATIVE AMERICANS, CHIEFLY
Five Years A Cavalryman by H. H. McConnell, University of
Oklahoma Press, 1996.
WAY OF LIFE UNDER ATTACK. THE
The Indian Trial by Charles Robinson, University of Oklahoma
Press, 2015.
Carbine and Lance by Colonel W. S. Nye, University of Oklahoma
Press, 1969.
Frontier Forts of Texas by Bill O’Neal, Arcadia Publishing, 2018.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall
of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American
History by S. C. Gwynne, Simon & Schuster, 2011.
Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site
and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway
228 State Park Road 61, Jacksboro, Texas 76458
(940) 567-3506 • www.tpwd.texas.gov/fortrichardson
KIOWA AND COMANCHE, SAW THEIR
UNITED STATES ARMY, SENT TO
PROTECT SETTLERS AND AMERICAN
INTERESTS, DROVE NATIVE GROUPS
FROM THEIR HOMELANDS ONTO
PERMANENT RESERVATIONS.
BETWEEN 1867 AND 1875, SOUTHERN
PLAINS TRIBES AND U.S. CAVALRY
AND INFANTRY CLASHED ON THE
NORTHERN TEXAS FRONTIER. FORT
RICHARDSON WAS A KEY POST IN
THIS STRUGGLE.
© 2021 TPWD. PWD BR P4506-0025L (7/21)
TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender,
pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone
(TTY) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989 or by email at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and
Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.
Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site is not only
steeped in history, but rich in natural wonders as well.
Multi-use trails within the park provide an opportunity
to travel through beautiful prairie habitat, home to many
species of birds including northern bobwhite, Western
meadowlark, and American kestrel. Overnight visitors
may hear the gentle rustle of armadillos as they forage
for insects and grubs, and coyotes may sing at dawn and
dusk. Look for stately white-tailed deer in the early
evening. You may even have a group of wild turkeys pass
you on the trail.
The Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway connects Fort
Richardson’s main park to its satellite park nestled on
the shore of Lake Jacksboro. The 9-mile trail follows
the creek, traveling the east side of Lake Jacksboro
before crossing the dam at Lost Creek Reservoir. The
trail casually winds along the terrain and offers cool,
shaded spots to rest beneath pecan and oak trees.
Look for great blue herons, kingfishers, and even osprey
hunting fish in Lake Jacksboro. Enjoy a cool swim after
your hike and relax on the beach.
F O R T
R I C H A R D S O N
S T A T E
P A R K
A N D
H I S T O R I C
S I T E
LIFE AT THE FORT
SENTINELS
OF THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS
Established in 1867, Fort Richardson
was the northernmost post of a line
of forts stretching from the Rio
Grande to the Red River.
The U.S. Army named Fort Richardson in honor of
General Israel B. Richardson, a veteran of the Seminole
Indian and Mexican Wars, who fought for the Union and
died in the Civil War in 1862. Frontier forts played a
critical role during Reconstruction and the Indian Wars,
when troops were tasked with the job of subduing the
plains Native Americans and forcing them onto
reservations north of the Red River
Relocated tribes, however, became frustrated by confinement, inadequate supplies, and failed treaty promises.
Other tribes resisted relocation and fought back. Their
warriors crossed the Red River into Texas and terrorized
frontier settlements. In response, the U.S. government sent
additional Army personnel to protect these communities
and bring those responsible to trial. On occasion, these
retaliatory raids and patrols became bloody battles; one of
the fiercest was the battle at
the Little Wichita River in
July 1870.
Kicking Bird, a Kiowa
Chief, attempted to secure a
peaceful resolution for his
people, but failed peace
talks led some in his tribe to
question his leadership. To
regain the confidence of his
people, Kicking Bird led
NOLA DAVIS, TPWD
warriors into Texas in 1870. Against his orders, a small group
of young warriors attacked a civilian mail stagecoach. Fort
Richardson dispersed 59 troopers of the 6th Cavalry Regiment,
led by Captain McLellan, to locate and fight the Kiowa responsible for the attack.
The 6th Cavalry tracked down the Kiowa and attacked, despite
being outnumbered two to one. McLellan only lost three soldiers
and eleven were wounded before retreating, while the Kiowa
reportedly lost fifteen men. Captain McLellan praised Kicking
Bird for his leadership in the battle and requested more men to
protect the frontier. The army awarded McLellan’s unit, including
civilian James B. Dosher, with 18 Medals of Honor.
In 1871, The U.S. Army held Kiowa Chiefs Satanta and Big
Tree at Fort Richardson for leading a raid known as the Warren
Wagon Train Massacre. These chiefs became the first Native
Americans tried in Texas Civil Court and their guilty verdict
shifted public opinion to support offensive western advancement.
Three years later, in 1874, the conflict between U.S. Army
troops and the plains Native Americans would come to an end in
the Battle of Palo Duro. Led by Col. Mackenzie, the army dealt a
decisive blow to the Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa,
forcing the tribes permanently onto reservations. This final battle
effectively ended the Red River War.
Kicking Bird later regretted his use of violence
and devoted the rest of his life to working with
Americans and seeking peace for his people.
Life was hard for soldiers at a frontier fort. The men made long,
difficult patrols along the frontier, sometimes trekking all the way
to Palo Duro Canyon, 300 miles away. They guarded the military
road connecting them with forts to the southwest, and helped
local law officers keep the peace in the nearby town of Jacksboro.
The post hospital, completed in 1870, dominates the fort’s
parade grounds. More men died from diseases than from battle
wounds. Highest on the list of medical complaints were illnesses
caused by bad water and spoiled food. Other common ailments
included alcoholism and venereal diseases contracted during visits
to nearby brothels.
After the Battle of Palo Duro, the north Texas frontier was
relatively secure and soldiers were no longer needed at Fort
Richardson. Orders to abandon Fort Richardson were issued
March 29, 1878. The 60+ buildings, including our still-standing
morgue, bakery, magazine, commissary, and commanding officer’s
quarters were soon sold, scavenged, and fell into disrepair.
EARL NOTTINGHAM,
TPWD
LOST BATTALIO N
D
uring World War II, Fort Richardson became
an active Texas National Guard installation
as the mobilization site for Battery F, 2nd
Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment, 36th Infantry
Division. In February 1942, the battalion fought alongside the Dutch on the island of Java to repel a Japanese
invasion. The unit and 368 sailors from the USS Houston
were captured when the Dutch surrendered the island
in March. The fate of the men remained a mystery until
the end of the war. They became known as the “Lost
Battalion.”
During their 42 months imprisonment, the men suffered
untold hardships. They were transported to Burma and
Thailand in the cramped lower holds of ships. With no
fresh air, food, water, or latrines, the journey was
unbearable. In the jungles of Burma and Thailand the
men were forced into manual labor, clearing jungle,
digging roads, and laying tracks. The prisoners suffered
in the jungle heat, monsoons, and tropical diseases with
no medical treatment. The 738 members of the Lost
Battalion who managed to survive this grueling time
were liberated on August 15, 1945.
Today a State Historical Marker commemorates these
men and their sacrifice.
Texas National Guard troops train at Fort Richardson.
Photo courtesy of Paula Schaeper.