Fort Belknap

Fort Belknap was the northern anchor of a series of U.S. Army Forts stretching from the Red River to the Rio Grande, built to protect the Texas frontier. Troops from Fort Belknap pursued raiding bands of Indians allowing for settlement of the area. The Fort became the hub network of roads, most notably the Butterfield Overland Mail route. Fort Belknap was abandoned during the Civil War, reoccupied briefly after the war, then abandoned for the last time in September 1867. Some buildings have been restored and offer a popular site for group gatherings.