Fort Davis (Texas)
Jeff Davis County
48-26688
Fort Davis is a census -designated place and the county seat ( county seat ) of the Jeff Davis County in the U.S. state of Texas in the United States. The town has 1050 inhabitants ( 2000).
Geography
The city is located in the Chihuahuan Desert at the edge of the Davis Mountains and emerged from the 1854 scale Fort Davis, a military base at the old military and trade route from El Paso to San Antonio. Today intersect in Fort Davis Texas State Routes 17 and 118
History
The first settlement at Fort was called Chihuahua. You and the fort were when the troops were withdrawn in the American Civil War, attacked and plundered by Apaches. It was not until 1867 the fort was rebuilt and the 9th Cavalry Regiment moved: Buffalo Soldiers, a unit of African Americans who were called by the Indians because of their curly black hair as "Bison - soldiers." To the base was again a settlement that bore the name of the fort, and soon the largest town in Texas west of the Pecos River was.
1871 Fort Davis became the county seat of the newly established Presidio County, in 1885 this function was transferred to the southerly Marfa, because here led past the railway. Only two years later, the Jeff Davis County from the Presidio County cleaved and Fort Davis was again the county seat of the new foundation. Early 1890s was the army of the fort and Fort Davis lost both population and importance.
1966, the former base as Fort Davis National Historic Site, a memorial of the type of National Historic Sites was established. In addition, the Court House are in the style of Greek Revival and two other historic buildings in the city on the national monument list. The Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute entered a botanical garden with desert vegetation at the edge of the village.
Economy and Tourism
The town lives on tourism. The historic fort, the botanical garden, the Davis Mountains and Davis Mountains State Park attract visitors. The McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas on Mount Locke creates few but highly skilled jobs, and is also open to visitors. The Overland Trail Museum shows the history of the place in the pioneer days.