Fort Croghan

We have moved from East Texas to Central Texas, to the Hill Country.

After Texas joined the United States in 1845 there was much immigration.

The settlers landed in the east and went west by covered wagon, often in convoys known as wagon trains. They fanned out to all parts of the available new territory throughout the USA. This is the type of covered wagon that transported the families’ total possessions.

The wagons were drawn by oxen rather than horses. Oxen were stronger but slower; however, this suited well as all able-bodied travellers walked alongside the wagons and the oxen plodded along at that pace. This is a photo from the archives.

The Hill Country offered good grassland for cattle and reasonable arable land, so settlers came in a steady stream. Problem was, it was Comanche territory and the warlike Comanches, led by Yellow Wolf, meant to defend it. Who can blame them? This is the stuff of my childhood cowboy B movies.

In 1849 the US military was tasked with establishing a fort to protect the settlers. This became Fort Croghan. There was no stockade and the fort community comprised a set of sturdy structures close together. This is one of the original buildings, the fort office and powder house. Not that impressive, but maybe what we need is a few Comanche arrows sticking in the roof and door.

The eyes of the fort was the lookout station, and here again we have the original moved from its position on a nearby hill. It looks somewhat like that essential building all houses used to have at the bottom of the garden.

Buildings from the fort’s era, and a little later, have been moved from their original location and rebuilt. This is a settler’s house with front porch.

It is surprisingly comfortable inside, however, no tele. 

Space could be very limited, though, as the inside of this next one-room cabin shows. A Mr & Mr Kinchloe lived here and raised 11 children.

 A schoolroom was provided, with teacher, paid for by the state. 

Inside the fort museum is a varied collection of memorabilia from the second half of the 19^th Century. For example, dozens of different types of barbed wire. Boring, you might say, but barbed wire was the invention that changed the west. Previously, land was mainly unfenced due to lack of materials like wood and stone to enclose such large areas. Roaming cattle ranchers clashed with dairy and crop farmers. Range wars between the two groups flared frequently. Then barbed wire came along in the 1870s and enabled large boundaries to be enclosed securely and cheaply, so the ranchers were kept off the farmland. The bits of wire themselves are still not that riveting, but having told the tale, a section of the museum’s display has to be shown. Also, you know how to deal with the neighbour’s dog roaming onto your garden. 

As anticipated, there are Native American artefacts, in this case Comanche items, being the local tribe. Two photos follow, of a headdress and then a beaded moccasin.

Another odd display, and seemingly out of place here, is a banjo. But it this is an historically important instrument, being one of only three remaining made by the banjo’s inventor. It dates from 1836. It was brought to this area in 1854 by a relation of one of the settlers to entertain the locals with vocal and instrumental banjo music. Unfortunately, the relation was killed by the Comanches (they couldn’t stand banjo music) but the instrument stayed with the family and was later donated to the museum.

 There were plenty of other household and farming items, but the above tell more unusual tales. The museum is run totally by volunteers who’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable presentation of their treasures brought the history to life for us, and would compare most favourably with the larger and more elitist collections.